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I keep failing.
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 9:22 am
by CeT-To
Has anybody had those days where for example you are at home reading the bible or listening to music and all those things that just make you so fired up about God and his glory and power and majesty that you feel like you can do no wrong, then when you walk out of the house and interact with others you fall to sin so easily?.. and you are so utterly confused and feel such shame as to why you let this happen.
It's starting to bother me so much that I've been less and less active in my prayer life because i feel such shame and i just can't look at God. Even this week I've noticed i've become more sinful - swearing here and there for the attention of others, doing immoral acts - for example last week friday i made out with a girl at a club and danced dirty- i fully knew at the time too i was not harshly tempted by emotions.. i was as sober as can be and i knew i was letting God down... but i just did it. What's wrong with me..? I keep failing. Thank God for Jesus' death and resurrection but why do i keep failing?
God bless
Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 12:39 pm
by Christian2
CeT-To wrote:Has anybody had those days where for example you are at home reading the bible or listening to music and all those things that just make you so fired up about God and his glory and power and majesty that you feel like you can do no wrong, then when you walk out of the house and interact with others you fall to sin so easily?.. and you are so utterly confused and feel such shame as to why you let this happen.
It's starting to bother me so much that I've been less and less active in my prayer life because i feel such shame and i just can't look at God. Even this week I've noticed i've become more sinful - swearing here and there for the attention of others, doing immoral acts - for example last week friday i made out with a girl at a club and danced dirty- i fully knew at the time too i was not harshly tempted by emotions.. i was as sober as can be and i knew i was letting God down... but i just did it. What's wrong with me..? I keep failing. Thank God for Jesus' death and resurrection but why do i keep failing?
God bless
So, you can only be a "good Christian" when you are at home.
Jesus never said it would be easy.
Frankly, I do not understand how any Christian can sin intentionally after accepting God's gift at the cross. How could you when you know what Jesus went through to save you?
Seems to me you need more prayer, not less.
Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 2:38 pm
by DannyM
CeT-To wrote:Has anybody had those days where for example you are at home reading the bible or listening to music and all those things that just make you so fired up about God and his glory and power and majesty that you feel like you can do no wrong, then when you walk out of the house and interact with others you fall to sin so easily?.. and you are so utterly confused and feel such shame as to why you let this happen.
It's starting to bother me so much that I've been less and less active in my prayer life because i feel such shame and i just can't look at God. Even this week I've noticed i've become more sinful - swearing here and there for the attention of others, doing immoral acts - for example last week friday i made out with a girl at a club and danced dirty- i fully knew at the time too i was not harshly tempted by emotions.. i was as sober as can be and i knew i was letting God down... but i just did it. What's wrong with me..? I keep failing. Thank God for Jesus' death and resurrection but why do i keep failing?
Don‘t beat yourself up, CeT-To, you are in good company.
Romans 7:14-25
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.
17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do— this I keep on doing.
20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.
22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law;
23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.
24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
25 Thanks be to God— through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
You recognise the problem. Believe it or not you ARE dealing with it. Paul recognised it.
I felt shame and thought I was undeserving of God’s love. But God’s love is far greater than I had realised. I realised that God looks past the sin and wants us to turn to Him in prayer. And it suddenly became easier to deal with past and present sins, and I think the lifting of this burden helps one to keep certain sins in check more often than not. Turn to your God in prayer. He wants you.
Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 2:50 pm
by DannyM
Christian2 wrote:Frankly, I do not understand how any Christian can sin intentionally after accepting God's gift at the cross. How could you when you know what Jesus went through to save you?
What do you mean by "intentionally"?
Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 4:45 pm
by Echoside
Christian2 wrote:.
Frankly, I do not understand how any Christian can sin intentionally after accepting God's gift at the cross. How could you when you know what Jesus went through to save you?
\.
Do you include yourself in that statement? Or do you just sin accidentally so it's no big deal?
Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 7:33 pm
by CeT-To
Christian2 wrote:
So, you can only be a "good Christian" when you are at home.
Jesus never said it would be easy.
Frankly, I do not understand how any Christian can sin intentionally after accepting God's gift at the cross. How could you when you know what Jesus went through to save you?
Seems to me you need more prayer, not less.
I never said i can only be a "good Christian" when i am at home, I sin at home too at times.
How could I sin knowing what Jesus did for me? The same way you do.
I never said i needed less prayer, I said because i've been sinning more than before these past few days my reaction has been shame thus i haven't been able to bring myself into prayer.
@ Danny
All this actually started after I became really motivated to change my prayer time. Before i would just prayer here and there daily in my mind thru out the day- but after i decided that everynight before i would go to bed i would get down on my knees and do it the old fashion way too - making my body humble in prayer like my words. A couple of days after doing that it felt like it all went down the drain because i had gotten worse and i had no idea why when i was making more an effort to be closer with the Lord than before. There is a lot of swearing at work - also a lot of sleazy italians, they are very friendly people no doubt but i think its been harder because I'm there. ( Btw im italian too lol so i can say that if i want without being racist hahaha
).
Thanx for the support Echo & Danny
God bless
Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:04 am
by Christian2
DannyM wrote:Christian2 wrote:Frankly, I do not understand how any Christian can sin intentionally after accepting God's gift at the cross. How could you when you know what Jesus went through to save you?
What do you mean by "intentionally"?
I mean deliberately. I mean like you know adultery is a sin, but you keeping doing it.
Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:07 am
by Christian2
Echoside wrote:Christian2 wrote:.
Frankly, I do not understand how any Christian can sin intentionally after accepting God's gift at the cross. How could you when you know what Jesus went through to save you?
\.
Do you include yourself in that statement? Or do you just sin accidentally so it's no big deal?
All sin is a big deal.
I have no problem not murdering anyone, or committing adultery, or stealing, etc., but I can get angry and out comes the nastiness.
Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:26 am
by DannyM
Christian2 wrote:DannyM wrote:Christian2 wrote:Frankly, I do not understand how any Christian can sin intentionally after accepting God's gift at the cross. How could you when you know what Jesus went through to save you?
What do you mean by "intentionally"?
I mean deliberately. I mean like you know adultery is a sin, but you keeping doing it.
Who is doing the sinning?
Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:45 am
by DannyM
CeT-To wrote:All this actually started after I became really motivated to change my prayer time. Before i would just prayer here and there daily in my mind thru out the day- but after i decided that everynight before i would go to bed i would get down on my knees and do it the old fashion way too - making my body humble in prayer like my words. A couple of days after doing that it felt like it all went down the drain because i had gotten worse and i had no idea why when i was making more an effort to be closer with the Lord than before.
Perseverance, my friend. You are in Christ and you are doing that which you clearly do not want to do. In your heart and in your mind you are a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature you are a slave to sin. Let no man lord it over you and tell you otherwise.
Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 10:16 am
by B. W.
DannyM wrote:CeT-To wrote:All this actually started after I became really motivated to change my prayer time. Before i would just prayer here and there daily in my mind thru out the day- but after i decided that everynight before i would go to bed i would get down on my knees and do it the old fashion way too - making my body humble in prayer like my words. A couple of days after doing that it felt like it all went down the drain because i had gotten worse and i had no idea why when i was making more an effort to be closer with the Lord than before.
Perseverance, my friend. You are in Christ and you are doing that which you clearly do not want to do. In your heart and in your mind you are a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature you are a slave to sin. Let no man lord it over you and tell you otherwise.
It is thru the struggles with sin we all go thru is the first step in learning how to have that - develop that - living relationship with Christ so often spoken so much about...
Like the
Footprints in the Sand Poem – when we learn to be carried…
Andrew Murry’s book – Absolute Surrender – helped me during a time like you described – here is a link for it:
http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/m ... ntents.htm
Be Blest CeTo and you will make it!
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Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 5:59 am
by CeT-To
Thanx Bryan
I was at work the other day and a swear came out half automatically probably because i used to swear a lot before i gave my life to the Lord but anyway as soon as i realised i quickly prayed about it - for forgiveness and strength and it was okay
by okay i mean that i didnt feel down or sad anymore, i was confident in the Lord's forgiveness of me and power to change me so i moved on.
Sometimes its just these little things that the Lord does. But yeah i feel so dumb that my emotions get in the way of prayer.
Oh and did you only want me to read "absolute surrender" or the other ones too?
God bless!
Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 7:44 am
by DannyM
B. W. wrote:It is thru the struggles with sin we all go thru is the first step in learning how to have that - develop that - living relationship with Christ so often spoken so much about...
Personally speaking, and thanks to Bart, yourself and other Brothers here, once I realised the depths to which God's love and grace reaches, it was like a light was switched on: my sins are truly forgiven, and God truly loves me. And it is this realisation that helps me to understand that, while I am governed by this sinful nature, I am not worthless in the eyes of God. And once I realised that I am worth something to God, then it became possible to combat some of the sins I was seemingly beholden to. It is a constant struggle, of course, and I will never stop sinning, but when the heart changes, and God’s unadulterated grace is realised, then one’s feelings of utter worthlessness become changed…and thus the perpetuation of sins subsides somewhat.
Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 8:32 am
by CeT-To
Danny, when did you have that sudden realisation or was it a progressive realisation ? .. about the depth of God's love and grace?
Hmm maybe it's something i am lacking in the sense of experiential understanding - not that God hasn't provided love and grace to me but i dunno maybe i have yet to figure it out in here * points to heart*.
Sorry if this is personal ( you don't have to answer it) but what were some of the sins that subsided once you understood the depth of God's love and grace?
God bless brothers
Re: I keep failing.
Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 9:24 am
by DannyM
CeT-To wrote:Danny, when did you have that sudden realisation or was it a progressive realisation ? .. about the depth of God's love and grace?
It happened as a result of a ‘crisis’ thread I put up on here. Wasn’t sudden as such, but a moment of prayer was the sudden part I suppose.
Hmm maybe it's something i am lacking in the sense of experiential understanding - not that God hasn't provided love and grace to me but i dunno maybe i have yet to figure it out in here * points to heart*.
I never understood the power of God’s love and God's grace. I ‘believed’ it, but never really understood it. I prayed to God and had His presence with me. I knew then that I wasn’t so low in the eyes of God that I should just go on sinning regardless. I knew that God cared deeply. Knowing those closest to me cared was not much help; feelings of worthlessness just made me want to justify and perpetuate the worthlessness. I think it is the knowing you are truly forgiven and truly loved that is the catalyst for learning to not be so harsh with oneself. I think this stops the feelings of worthlessness and thus stops the relentless perpetuation of sins.
Sorry if this is personal ( you don't have to answer it) but what were some of the sins that subsided once you understood the depth of God's love and grace?
Hmm. Hard drugs. Sleeping around. Anger. Bitterness. Foul language. I could go on. But sin still ultimately reigns.