A question for fellow Christians ONLY please?

Question

What if I have been saved for a long time but I continue to struggle with sin. I believe in Christ, and have accepted him, but I still struggle against temptation, often giving in even though I hate myself for it and feel constant guilt. Does this mean I was never saved even though I have confessed Christ and confessed my sins? Or does it mean that maybe I am just really weak and a slow progressor? I find myself worrying that maybe I'll never get it right. I know that I can't earn my salvation, but can I un-earn it? How many times can I say I am sorry and mean it but continue to defy my own intentions and interrupt God's will in my life? Am I the only one who has felt this way?

Answer 1

Psalm 51:10-11
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

I sing this to the Lord all the time.
Ask the Lord to help you in what your weakness is and ask for strength and help.
Continue in His Word and Pray!

God Bless you!

Answer 2

We are all human. You are not alone. The fact that you are sorry and want to be right with God is proof that He is working in your heart and mind. We all worry we will never be perfect in this life and we won't be. That is because of our corrupt flesh bodies. We just have to keep moving forward toward God. Pick yourself up, repent, and be pleasing to Him. Find out what is causing you to sin and remove it from your life. If that means getting an accountability partner, than do it. Ask God for His guidance and help. Most importantly, continue to strengthen and grow in faith through reading his word and praying. When you struggle, turn to Christ as He is with you always.

IMO you can't earn salvation, therefore, you can't un-earn it. Salvation is a gift from God. It is impossible for one to become "unborn" after God has sent His truth to a person. Why would God waste His truth on someone He knows will "fall away?" I don't think He would. He told us not to cast pearls before swine, then why would He turn around and do that? God is not a liar. If He has read your heart and found it to be faithful and honest He sends His Holy Spirit and you are "saved," "born-again." The point is He reminds us in Romans 8:38-39 that He will never let us go, no matter what.

Like I said, find out what the stumbling blocks are and get them out of your life, through intervention, counseling, accountability, prayer, etc. what ever it takes. Pick up your cross and follow Jesus as He is with you. Draw near to Him that loves you. It is a growing and strengthening process. God Bless you.

Answer 3

I am a Pastor and I tell you we all sin from time to time. The thing is we just ask God to forgive us and try not to do it again.
Paul said "Why do I do the things I do not want to, and do not do that which I know I should." So even Paul slipped up now and then.
Remember that Jesus is the only one to ever live without sinning.
You can say you are sorry as many times as you need, right up until you die.

Answer 4

"If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9) "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we might receive mercy and grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15,16). "For sin SHALL NOT have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:14)
The most common cause of failing is we try to do in the strength of our flesh what can only be done through the power of God's Spirit. This is the condition described in Romans 7:14-25. We come under Law instead of Grace. But I have to tell you from personal experience that when there is an issue in your life that seems to be out of your control, it is very often the operation of a demon spirit, and will never respond to reckoning yourself to be dead to sin and normal discipline. It needs to be cast out by faith in the name of Jesus. Perhaps your theology doesn't allow for that possibility, but then maybe you need to ask yourself which means more to you - maintaining you theology, or getting set free? "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (delivered" (Romans 10:13)

Answer 5

1 Jn 1 :9 says if we confess, since we confess, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse. If your questions if totally for real, and I sense it is, God loves you as a child. He doesn't easily disown his kids. There is and always be a tension of truth regarding the assurance of our salvation and us having our names blotted out of the Lamb's book of life. There is one thing you can do that will really help you and settle your mind and soul. Confession as James recommends is accompanied with prayer and healing. As gross and embarrassing as our sin is, and it is, there is nothing you might be doing or thinking that is to gross for the Spirit of God to forgive you of, cleans you of, and deliver you from. I hope you have someone who can be totally honest with and have them pray with you for your healing and deliverance. Also, for next 30 days, read Romans 5 - 8. Get that passage of scripture deeply into your spirit. It is amazing how powerful those chapters are. And let Galatians 2:20 be the final word from the Lord as to what is absolutely true about YOU!

Answer 6

I have put this on my watch list.I want to pray about this and give my answer in the morning.God be with you,your brother.
I'm back and I hope you can recieve what I feel God has laid on my heart.Please note that this is how I feel God has lead me,and remember we are all earthen vessels.Don't let what I say get you in trouble.Your seeking answers here and God knows your heart better than even you do.Scripture came to me from 2 Peter 2 ,I believe that God has chosen vessels,Paul was one that was chosen,Acts 9:15.I believe I was chosen as well as my wife.Chosen doesn't mean more saved,but chosen to do a work.In order to do this work our lifes must be in order or we will fall.We see this happening all around us today.Just recently a powerful minister fell into homosexuality and drugs.His witness now gone,shame will be his reward when he could have had honor.I have seen Christians like you who have such a desire to do service for the Lord,yet secret sins hold them back from doing what God has called them to do.I would Imagine you have many talents,and because of the sin in your life your burying them.This is how my house lived for years.We went to church,even helped out there,we wanted to look our best.But things changed outside the walls of the church.Not because we wanted it this way,we just didn't know what else to do.God was calling me to be an Evangelist and I didn't want to do it,I had to many other things that just didn't agree with that kind of service.The more I justified it the worse it got.My wife finally left me stating that she felt as if she was beginning to lose her spirituality.That is when I started Fasting and Praying.I asked God to show me how my life looked to Him.That is when I really repented and sin became sin. 2 Peter 2:9a says;"the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation....". Please read all of this chapter I don't know why but God has really laid this chapter on my heart.Maybe He can speak to you through it.God bless,My wife and I will be praying for you.

Answer 7

Wow.You will struggle with sin until the day you die,its our fleshly nature.In order for you too stop giving in you have to conquer yourself.Its not easy but it can be done,Ive been off meth for a year,because I worked hard and trusted in Jesus.Once you realize you're doing something wrong its your job too work on it.Trust in God.You can loose your salvation,you keep it by having a relationship with god and following his word.You will be forgiven as many times as you ask for forgiveness as long as your sincere,and making an effort to stop doing the particular thing thats messing you up.Talk to your pastor.God-Bless ya!

Answer 8

Everyone will continue to struggle. That is our lot in life. But what remains is how we nurture and strengthen ourselves in faith. Exercise your faith muscles with the Bible, and getting active with your church if you haven't done so already. For me, I'm going through my own self-study of meditation each day, as though living and breathing God is a requirement, which it is, as crucial to eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner to stay alive...I came across a long Psalm 119 which is like my daily prayer. Learn it if you wish. It is a great start to seek the path to go.

Answer 9

You are not alone, the flesh is weak and God knows it.. No one but Christ was perfect and without sin.. once you were saved all you have to do is ask for forgiveness, repent, and mean it, and your sins are forgiven!.. that does not mean that you should not try to be pure, Jesus said "be holy, for I am holy"(pure). But as long as we walk in these flesh bodies, there are going to be times of regression. Just repent. In the great book of Romans Ch. 7 verses 13 thru 20, Paul is teaching, what he is talking about, although an in depth teaching, basically says that because we are saved, we are dead to sin (spiritually speaking), made perfect by Christ's blood on the cross. He goes on to say that it is no longer us who sins but the flesh that sins. As spiritual men and women of God were expected to control our flesh, not the other way around. Sometimes you've got to be tough with yourself to keep your flesh in line. So that all being said, whats the penalty for sin? Death right? what happens to our flesh when our spirit asends to heaven at death? It dies, right? it turns back to the dust from whence it came, right? You see, if it's our flesh that sins and not us, as Paul teaches in these verses, its going to pay the price of death as God requires, while we (our spirits) asend unto the glory of God in heaven. What a wonderful, beautiful, and glorious thing!!
Keep on trying to keep yourself from sinning, but ask for forgiveness, and know that you are forgiven. Don't keep asking for forgiveness for sins that have been forgiven already, God doesn't like that! once forgiven they're gone, forever. So quit carrying them around, lay them at to foot of the cross (mentally visualize doing this when praying and asking for forgiveness) they are a burden that your good Father doesn't want you carrying. Ask God for strength against sin.
Now go, and be that stand up man of God that I know you are, and want to be. You're doing just fine! Stay in the Word!

Answer 10

We can beat ourselves up for our shortcomings, get perverted because of our guilt. Do what you have been doing, pray, actually beg and pray God to give you strength to overcome your habits. Some of us are slow learners, but even the thief on the cross understood that he could be with Christ in paradise that same day. Look to God, not people. Don't let the criticizers get to you. Go to the Psalms, find one that speaks to you. How about the First Psalm! Get your delights in order with God, not the opposite failures you know of.