Sin?

Charlie Brown · Post by **Charlie Brown** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 9:14 pm

How many times could you be forgiven for the same sin? My three main sins are anger, cussing and lust. I've been trying to not do any of these any more, but it seems impossible sometimes. For example, I'll be driving down the street and someone will cut me off and I'll think, "You s*** head," or something like that (or I'll actually say it). As soon as I say or think it I usually catch myself immediately and I ask for forgiveness. Anyway, I'll cut my story here before I start rambling.

I'm somewhat new to Christianity so I have a lot of questions, I hope I don't get on too many people's nerves.

Judah · Post by **Judah** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 10:02 pm

Hi Charlie Brown. God doesn't set a number. So long as you are genuinely sorry (repentant) and ask for His forgiveness, He will forgive you. He is very patient with us all. What you are probably dealing with is a habit, and habits do take time and effort to break. The trick is to stop yourself before you say the cuss word, rather than afterwards - and that does take effort. You might like to try a substitution instead - such as "Bless you!" - rather than whatever you might have said.

If you are a new Christian, you will undoubtedly have lots of questions and that is fine. Ask and we will see what we can answer. There are plenty of folks here who are happy to respond to genuinely asked questions and tell you of their own experiences where those may help.

When it comes to dealing with recurrent sins, be encouraged by the fact that the more you pray and ask God for help to deal with them, the less troublesome they will become over time. The process is called sanctification, and the Holy Spirit will work within you to transform you to become increasingly like Christ. That doesn't happen immediately like a flick of a switch, but as you grow in your faith you will find His power really works to overcome and defeat your old sin nature. So do not be disheartened by any lapses. It happens to all of us. The important thing is to be genuinely sorry, confess and ask for His forgivenes, be joyful that it is willingly granted you, and keep on regardless. If you yearn for Him in your heart, truly desire to follow Him in full obedience, then He will give you the strength to do just that. We all slip up, and all need His forgiveness - over and over and over again. You are in good company!

jeffg · Post by **jeffg** » Sat Nov 25, 2006 10:37 pm

Charlie;

Only you and God can know for sure your heart and how you stand in his kingdom. However if you have truly repented I think 1 John will give you great comfort in your battle with personal sins.

YLTYLT · Post by **YLTYLT** » Tue Nov 28, 2006 6:12 pm

Charlie,

One thing that my pastor told me, which is helping me with exactly the same issues. (and ONLY helping me, I'm not completely there) IS to read the Bible every morning. And do not just read, but study. 1 verse 10 times may be better than 10 verses 1 time. And then pray.

You may have heard that the Lord's prayer is a blueprint on how to pray.
My pastor wrote this to expound on how and what to pray. This may not be fully encompassing but I think its very comprehensive and at least a good start.

Brad Strand wrote: According to the Bible, there are seven steps to a better prayer life:
1. Learn to praise HIM daily (See - Lk 11:1,2 - “Hallowed be thy name”)
According to the Bible, we are to praise the LORD daily for fifteen things:
a. His ability to deliver (See - Judges 5:3 & I Chro 16:35,36)
b. His ability to encourage (See - Isa 42:1-5 & I Sam 30:1-6)
c. His creation (See - Psa 139:14)
d. His glory (See - I Chro 29:9-14)
e. His goodness (See - Psa 107:8,15,21,31)
f. His greatness (See - Psa 145:1-4)
g. His holiness (See - II Chro 20:20-25)
h. His loving-kindness (See - Psa 63:3)
i. His majesty (See - I Chro 29:11 & Psa 93:1 & Psa 104:1 & II Pet 1:16 & Jude 1:25)
j. His mercy (See - II Chro 7:3-6 & Psa 106:1)

k. His power (See - I Chro 29:11 & Rev 5:13)
l. His provision (See - Joel 2:26) (See also - Psa 37:25 & Mt 6:19-34)
m. His righteousness (See - Psa 7:17 & Psa 48:10)
n. His salvation (See - Psa 9:14)
o. His Word (See - Psa 119:164 & Psa 56:4,10 & Psa 138:2)
Note - In order for Christians to praise God properly they must first fulfill the seven prerequisites required to praising Him! According to the Bible, we cannot praise God properly until we first:
*Learn to fear Him (See - Psa 22:23 & Psa 112:1)
*Learn to show ourselves meek (See - Psa 22:26)
*Learn to humble ourselves (See - Mt 21:12-16)
*Learn to reflect on our humble beginnings (See - Psa 74:1-3,21)
*Learn to desire what is right (See - Psa 33:1-5)
*Learn what it means to be of a willing spirit (See - Psa 50:23)
*Learn to praise Him daily (See - Psa 72:15 & Psa 113:3)
2. Learn to petition HIM daily concerning HIS pleasure (See - Lk 11:2 - “thy will be done”)
God's will for our life is that we seek HIS pleasure through fasting! According to the Bible, there are four kinds of fasting:
a. Burdened-hearted fasting - This kind of fasting resulted out of grief and frustration. Called a “no-account” fast, this type of fasting did not count for anything. People fasted simply because their hearts were so burdened they could not eat (See - Judg 20:24-26 & I Sam 1:1-7 & I Sam 31:11-13 & II Sam 1:1-12 & II Sam 3:33-35 & I Ki 19:8-10 & Dan 6:18-20 & Ezra 10:1-6)
b. Broken-hearted fasting - This kind of fasting resulted out of a desire to gain, or regain, three spiritual necessities:
* The presence of God (See - I Sam 7:3-6)
* The pity of God (i.e., God's grace and mercy) (See - II Sam 12:9-22 & II Sam 17:26 Psa 69:1-10 & I Ki 21:27 & Joel 1:13,14 & Joel 2:12-14 & Jonah 3:4 & Neh 1:1-11 & Neh 9:1-3)
* The protection of God (See - II Sam 15:31/Psa 109:24 & II Chro 20:1-4 & Esther 4:1-16 & Ezra 8:21-23)
c. Bible-hearted fasting - This kind of fasting resulted out of desire to know God's word and do His will for the sake of others (Exo 24:18/ Deut 9:9 & Deut 34:28/Deut 9:18 & Lev 16:29-34 & Lev 23:32 & I Sam 24:22/Psa 35:13,14& Dan 9:1-3,23-27 & Dan 10:1-14 & Zech 8:19 & Mt 4:1-4/Lk 4:1,2 & Mt 9:14/Mk 2:18/Lk 5:33 & Lk 2:36,37 & Acts 9:9 &Acts 10:30 & Acts 13:1-4 & Acts 14:23 & I Cor 7:4,5 & II Cor 6:3-5/ II Cor11:23-27)
d. Bad-hearted fasting - This kind of fasting resulted out of selfishness and pride. Men refused to eat because of four different reasons:
* They sought prestige (See - Mt 6:16-18 & Mt 9:14,15 & Lk 18:12)
* They sought profit (See - I Ki 21:9-12)
* They sought pleasure (See - Isa 58:3-8)
* They sought power (See - Acts 23:12,13)
Note - In order for Christians to petition God properly concerning HIS pleasure they must first fulfill the one prerequisite required when petitioning Him for HIS pleasure! According to the Bible, we cannot petition God properly concerning HIS pleasure until we first:
* Learn to obey what we already know to be true (See - Jn 7:16,17 & Jn 8:31,32 & Jn 14:13,14 & Jn 15:7 & Mt 21:22 & Mk 11:22-24 & Jms 4:1-4)
3. Learn to petition HIM daily for provision (See - Lk 11:3 - “Give us day by day”)
Note - In order for Christians to petition God properly concerning His provision they must first fulfill the one prerequisite required to petitioning Him for provision! According to the Bible, we cannot petition God properly concerning provision until we first:
* Learn to ask Him daily (See - Lk 11:3 & Mt 7:7,8)
4. Learn to petition HIM daily concerning penitence (See - Lk 11:4 - “forgive us our sins”)
Note - In order for Christians to petition God properly concerning penitence they must first fulfill the one prerequisite required to petitioning Him for penitence! According to the Bible, we cannot petition God properly concerning penitence until we first:
* Learn to forgive others (See - Mt 6:14,15 & Mk 11:25,26)
5. Learn to petition HIM daily for protection (See - Lk 11:4 & Lk 18:1-7 - “deliver us from evil”)

6. Learn to petition HIM daily on behalf of people (See - Lk 11:5-12 - “a friend of mine”)
Note - In order for Christians to petition God properly concerning people they must first fulfill the one prerequisite required to petitioning Him for people! According to the Bible, we cannot petition God properly concerning people until we first:
*Learn to believe that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek HIM (See - Heb 11:6)
7. Learn to petition HIM daily for power (See - Lk 11:13 - “how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit [i.e., power] to them that ask Him”)
Note - In order for Christians to petition God properly concerning HIS power they must first fulfill the one prerequisite required to petitioning Him for HIS power! According to the Bible, we cannot petition God properly concerning HIS power until we first:
* Learn to ask HIM continually (See - Lk 11:13)

My pastor told me one of the things he includes in his prayers each morning is "to protect me from the Satan and the world, but mostly protect me from myself." He said it helps him from doing stupid things, realizing that we are all sinners and that we are just one really bad decision away from ruining our testimony to be a witness to others for Christ.

I hope this helps. I have recently started implementing these ideas and they have helped me greatly. Although it is still a continual struggle.

Michelle · Post by **Michelle** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 12:26 am

YLTYLT wrote:Charlie,

One thing that my pastor told me, which is helping me with exactly the same issues. (and ONLY helping me, I'm not completely there) IS to read the Bible every morning. And do not just read, but study. 1 verse 10 times may be better than 10 verses 1 time. And then pray.

You may have heard that the Lord's prayer is a blueprint on how to pray.
My pastor wrote this to expound on how and what to pray. This may not be fully encompassing but I think its very comprehensive and at least a good start.

Brad Strand wrote: According to the Bible, there are seven steps to a better prayer life:
1. Learn to praise HIM daily (See - Lk 11:1,2 - “Hallowed be thy name”)
According to the Bible, we are to praise the LORD daily for fifteen things:
a. His ability to deliver (See - Judges 5:3 & I Chro 16:35,36)
b. His ability to encourage (See - Isa 42:1-5 & I Sam 30:1-6)
c. His creation (See - Psa 139:14)
d. His glory (See - I Chro 29:9-14)
e. His goodness (See - Psa 107:8,15,21,31)
f. His greatness (See - Psa 145:1-4)
g. His holiness (See - II Chro 20:20-25)
h. His loving-kindness (See - Psa 63:3)
i. His majesty (See - I Chro 29:11 & Psa 93:1 & Psa 104:1 & II Pet 1:16 & Jude 1:25)
j. His mercy (See - II Chro 7:3-6 & Psa 106:1)

k. His power (See - I Chro 29:11 & Rev 5:13)
l. His provision (See - Joel 2:26) (See also - Psa 37:25 & Mt 6:19-34)
m. His righteousness (See - Psa 7:17 & Psa 48:10)
n. His salvation (See - Psa 9:14)
o. His Word (See - Psa 119:164 & Psa 56:4,10 & Psa 138:2)
Note - In order for Christians to praise God properly they must first fulfill the seven prerequisites required to praising Him! According to the Bible, we cannot praise God properly until we first:
*Learn to fear Him (See - Psa 22:23 & Psa 112:1)
*Learn to show ourselves meek (See - Psa 22:26)
*Learn to humble ourselves (See - Mt 21:12-16)
*Learn to reflect on our humble beginnings (See - Psa 74:1-3,21)
*Learn to desire what is right (See - Psa 33:1-5)
*Learn what it means to be of a willing spirit (See - Psa 50:23)
*Learn to praise Him daily (See - Psa 72:15 & Psa 113:3)
2. Learn to petition HIM daily concerning HIS pleasure (See - Lk 11:2 - “thy will be done”)
God's will for our life is that we seek HIS pleasure through fasting! According to the Bible, there are four kinds of fasting:
a. Burdened-hearted fasting - This kind of fasting resulted out of grief and frustration. Called a “no-account” fast, this type of fasting did not count for anything. People fasted simply because their hearts were so burdened they could not eat (See - Judg 20:24-26 & I Sam 1:1-7 & I Sam 31:11-13 & II Sam 1:1-12 & II Sam 3:33-35 & I Ki 19:8-10 & Dan 6:18-20 & Ezra 10:1-6)
b. Broken-hearted fasting - This kind of fasting resulted out of a desire to gain, or regain, three spiritual necessities:
* The presence of God (See - I Sam 7:3-6)
* The pity of God (i.e., God's grace and mercy) (See - II Sam 12:9-22 & II Sam 17:26 Psa 69:1-10 & I Ki 21:27 & Joel 1:13,14 & Joel 2:12-14 & Jonah 3:4 & Neh 1:1-11 & Neh 9:1-3)
* The protection of God (See - II Sam 15:31/Psa 109:24 & II Chro 20:1-4 & Esther 4:1-16 & Ezra 8:21-23)
c. Bible-hearted fasting - This kind of fasting resulted out of desire to know God's word and do His will for the sake of others (Exo 24:18/ Deut 9:9 & Deut 34:28/Deut 9:18 & Lev 16:29-34 & Lev 23:32 & I Sam 24:22/Psa 35:13,14& Dan 9:1-3,23-27 & Dan 10:1-14 & Zech 8:19 & Mt 4:1-4/Lk 4:1,2 & Mt 9:14/Mk 2:18/Lk 5:33 & Lk 2:36,37 & Acts 9:9 &Acts 10:30 & Acts 13:1-4 & Acts 14:23 & I Cor 7:4,5 & II Cor 6:3-5/ II Cor11:23-27)
d. Bad-hearted fasting - This kind of fasting resulted out of selfishness and pride. Men refused to eat because of four different reasons:
* They sought prestige (See - Mt 6:16-18 & Mt 9:14,15 & Lk 18:12)
* They sought profit (See - I Ki 21:9-12)
* They sought pleasure (See - Isa 58:3-8)
* They sought power (See - Acts 23:12,13)
Note - In order for Christians to petition God properly concerning HIS pleasure they must first fulfill the one prerequisite required when petitioning Him for HIS pleasure! According to the Bible, we cannot petition God properly concerning HIS pleasure until we first:
* Learn to obey what we already know to be true (See - Jn 7:16,17 & Jn 8:31,32 & Jn 14:13,14 & Jn 15:7 & Mt 21:22 & Mk 11:22-24 & Jms 4:1-4)
3. Learn to petition HIM daily for provision (See - Lk 11:3 - “Give us day by day”)
Note - In order for Christians to petition God properly concerning His provision they must first fulfill the one prerequisite required to petitioning Him for provision! According to the Bible, we cannot petition God properly concerning provision until we first:
* Learn to ask Him daily (See - Lk 11:3 & Mt 7:7,8)
4. Learn to petition HIM daily concerning penitence (See - Lk 11:4 - “forgive us our sins”)
Note - In order for Christians to petition God properly concerning penitence they must first fulfill the one prerequisite required to petitioning Him for penitence! According to the Bible, we cannot petition God properly concerning penitence until we first:
* Learn to forgive others (See - Mt 6:14,15 & Mk 11:25,26)
5. Learn to petition HIM daily for protection (See - Lk 11:4 & Lk 18:1-7 - “deliver us from evil”)

6. Learn to petition HIM daily on behalf of people (See - Lk 11:5-12 - “a friend of mine”)
Note - In order for Christians to petition God properly concerning people they must first fulfill the one prerequisite required to petitioning Him for people! According to the Bible, we cannot petition God properly concerning people until we first:
*Learn to believe that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek HIM (See - Heb 11:6)
7. Learn to petition HIM daily for power (See - Lk 11:13 - “how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit [i.e., power] to them that ask Him”)
Note - In order for Christians to petition God properly concerning HIS power they must first fulfill the one prerequisite required to petitioning Him for HIS power! According to the Bible, we cannot petition God properly concerning HIS power until we first:
* Learn to ask HIM continually (See - Lk 11:13)

My pastor told me one of the things he includes in his prayers each morning is "to protect me from the Satan and the world, but mostly protect me from myself." He said it helps him from doing stupid things, realizing that we are all sinners and that we are just one really bad decision away from ruining our testimony to be a witness to others for Christ.

I hope this helps. I have recently started implementing these ideas and they have helped me greatly. Although it is still a continual struggle.

The information you have given is of a great help. However I am curious and wondering if you could point me in the right direction as to where it says in the Bible about praising God for fifteen things. It is probably very obvious that I dont know my Bible very well. Also could someone please tell me why the Bible is meant to be read everyday. When I am doing study the vast amount of reading I do gives me severe eyestrain. I have glasses but I still get eyestrain. Can a person still be a Christian and only read it once a week? Is it alright to write notes in the margin of the Bible? I would be sincerely grateful for any advice thankyou!

Turgonian · Post by **Turgonian** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:24 am

I think that when you praise God and think about what you can praise Him for, you will include all or most of these things. I use the Lord's Prayer as a kind of 'outline'.

You don't have to read the Bible every day. Remember 99% of all believers didn't even own a Bible until four or five hundred years ago. But it's a good habit, and you could always go to http://www.biblegateway.com and let the site read chapters to you, if it burdens your eyes.

And yes, there is no problem with writing notes in your Bible, or underscoring important things.

YLTYLT · Post by **YLTYLT** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:41 am

Michelle wrote:
The information you have given is of a great help. However I am curious and wondering if you could point me in the right direction as to where it says in the Bible about praising God for fifteen things. It is probably very obvious that I dont know my Bible very well. Also could someone please tell me why the Bible is meant to be read everyday. When I am doing study the vast amount of reading I do gives me severe eyestrain. I have glasses but I still get eyestrain. Can a person still be a Christian and only read it once a week? Is it alright to write notes in the margin of the Bible? I would be sincerely grateful for any advice thankyou!

Michelle,

Can a person still be a Christian and only read it once a week? YES, Definitely.

Is it alright to write notes in the margin of the Bible? Yes, in fact it is very much recommended. put your thoughts, thoughts of teachers, ideas from other books.

About the fifteen things: These are just specific items that were discovered by Brad Strand during his 30 years of study. He admits that there may definitely be more things to praise him for, in fact Brad says we ought to praise Him for all things. James 1:2 These items are good to focus on in your devotion to God, but you may not necessarily need to limit it to these items. but you can look a the verses he referenced to see where he came up with each item. But there is no absolute list in the Bible that I am aware.

Reasons to read every day:

Once we have been saved, It is our relationship with God that leads us through the trials and through sanctification( becoming more like Christ). When you build a relationship with someone you try to get to know them. The way we get to know God is through His Word. With the a contrite heart and a humble spirit, The deeper you are into the Word, the deeper your relationship with Christ, and the greater your sanctification on earth. and I believe (although some may disagree) that there are greater rewards in Heaven for those that have the deeper relationships.

Here are 2 verse that indicate that knowledge of the Word teaches how to live everyday life with good judgement. And lack of knowledge can cause destruction of not only you but potentially your children

Psalm 119:66
Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

As far as the eye strain goes, you might consider a bigger text. But also try not to read so much and not so fast. Read for understanding. The only race you are in is your own. (Unless of course you are going through seminary and you have to read so much by a certain date.) Read a few verses and then look up and think about what it said and then go back and read the same verses again. Sometimes I find myself reading the same verse over and over trying to make sense of it. If I still can't understand I look at different commentaries on that verse, or come online here and ask a question about that particular verse. The bible is absolutely fascinating when you begin to understand all the meanings of words and how the words were used in that culture. It sheds great light on the scriptures. In my mind Its kind of like solving a big complex puzzle that God has set out there for us to figure out. So do not approach it as something you HAVE to learn. But approach it as an intricate puzzle of which you are trying to uncover the mysteries. (The movie national treasure comes to mind) (but not the da Vinci code). Try to explain those unexplained scriptures from other scripture but if you must use commentaries, just make sure you recognize that these are the writings of men, and men can be wrong and the post that you are reading is a commentary, so I could be wrong. But I think it is at least mostly right.

Michelle, I hope you don't have eye strain after reading my post

FFC · Post by **FFC** » Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:44 am

Michelle wrote:The information you have given is of a great help. However I am curious and wondering if you could point me in the right direction as to where it says in the Bible about praising God for fifteen things. It is probably very obvious that I don't know my Bible very well. Also could someone please tell me why the Bible is meant to be read everyday. When I am doing study the vast amount of reading I do gives me severe eyestrain. I have glasses but I still get eyestrain. Can a person still be a Christian and only read it once a week? Is it alright to write notes in the margin of the Bible? I would be sincerely grateful for any advice thank you!

Hi Michelle,
There is no law to how many times a week one must read the bible to please God. Just as there are no laws as to how many times a week someone must spend time with someone they love.

Reading and studying the bible, and praying, and just sitting and being still before God is a wonderful thing. We commune with Him. We get to know Him better. It can truly be a wonderful and bonding thing, and yet it can be death to our spiritual lives if we make a law out of it. God doesn't want us to come to out of compulsion, but out of a sincere desire to be in His presence. He loves us and has so much that He wants to share with us. The dynamics of the relationship that He has provided for us through his Son is so much deeper and better that any earthly relationship we could ever have.

I think personally that it is good to commune with God through his word and prayer every day because it pleases him that we want to come before His presence and learn of him, but skipping a day, or not reading the required number of verses, or not praying hours at a time can more times than not put a burden on a person that God never wanted.

To use a cliché', it's quality not quantity...only the individual knows the difference.