Just my thoughts.

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Misty9578

Guest
#1
#1
I love the fact that I don't have to be perfect here! It's hard striving everyday to be perfect. To not fall short. People are do judgemental these days. Now I do strive everyday to be perfect. To not slip, because of the love I have for God and him sacrificing his son for us but anymore it seems like I'm more worried about slipping in front of others rather then God. Even Christians can be so judgemental. We are all growing. We all have our flaws. If we did not and satan was not after us then I'd say we were in a pretty sorry state. But I love this site. I've seen several posts with Christian struggles. People supporting each other through what satan throws at them. I think people expect us to handle every matter in a Godly way, and we should, but ill be the first to say I don't. There are some days I slip so bad and get so deep but we're not supposed to fall short as Christians. We have to be that light to the world. When I came here I had buried myself with the world. Sunk so deep that I didn't think I'd ever find God again. I didn't think I deserved God again and there are days I struggle with that so strongly. There have been more church services lately that I have gone too and just been so downhearted. I put the smile on for everyone else. Fellowship and pretend all is alright but in all my heart has been heavy for so long. But I came across this site and I love it! It's been such an encouragement in my walk. I don't comment or post a whole lot but I've seen the realness of Christians here. The struggles. But also the kind hearted encouragement of others that only could come from God. Just my thoughts for today.
 
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elf3

Guest
#2
#2
Here is another look at "trying to be perfect". Instead of striving to be perfect, which we all fail at, just live your life for God each day. If you live your life for God then you don't need to be "perfect". If God wanted "perfection" He would have created us different. What God wants is us to love Him first and foremost and live for Him. Was King David perfect? Nope! Yet he is called a man after God's own heart. If people could say the same for me after I am not on this earth then I could say I did pretty darn good.
 
jsr1221

jsr1221

Senior Member
#3
Jul 7, 2013
4,265
77
48
#3
Misty9578 said:
I love the fact that I don't have to be perfect here! It's hard striving everyday to be perfect. To not fall short. People are do judgemental these days. Now I do strive everyday to be perfect. To not slip, because of the love I have for God and him sacrificing his son for us but anymore it seems like I'm more worried about slipping in front of others rather then God. Even Christians can be so judgemental. We are all growing. We all have our flaws. If we did not and satan was not after us then I'd say we were in a pretty sorry state. But I love this site. I've seen several posts with Christian struggles. People supporting each other through what satan throws at them. I think people expect us to handle every matter in a Godly way, and we should, but ill be the first to say I don't. There are some days I slip so bad and get so deep but we're not supposed to fall short as Christians. We have to be that light to the world. When I came here I had buried myself with the world. Sunk so deep that I didn't think I'd ever find God again. I didn't think I deserved God again and there are days I struggle with that so strongly. There have been more church services lately that I have gone too and just been so downhearted. I put the smile on for everyone else. Fellowship and pretend all is alright but in all my heart has been heavy for so long. But I came across this site and I love it! It's been such an encouragement in my walk. I don't comment or post a whole lot but I've seen the realness of Christians here. The struggles. But also the kind hearted encouragement of others that only could come from God. Just my thoughts for today.
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Someone brought this to me last night when I was at Celebrate Recovery, and it's absolutely perfect. He said that as soon as we get to Heaven, some or a lot of us are going to be trying to apologize to God, saying "God I'm sorry for... I didn't mean to do... I tried to stop doing..." But Christ is just going to look at us with love and say "I don't know what you're talking about. It's been forgotten." While that doesn't give us a license to sin, it is refreshing that when we do mess up, God isn't going to hold that against us. He'll be waiting and wanting us to come to Him. It says in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 how love is patient. Love is kind. And it doesn't keep track of any wrongdoing. When you actually let that sink in, it is such an amazing feeling.
 
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Misty9578

Guest
#4
#4
jsr1221 said:
Someone brought this to me last night when I was at Celebrate Recovery, and it's absolutely perfect. He said that as soon as we get to Heaven, some or a lot of us are going to be trying to apologize to God, saying "God I'm sorry for... I didn't mean to do... I tried to stop doing..." But Christ is just going to look at us with love and say "I don't know what you're talking about. It's been forgotten." While that doesn't give us a license to sin, it is refreshing that when we do mess up, God isn't going to hold that against us. He'll be waiting and wanting us to come to Him. It says in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 how love is patient. Love is kind. And it doesn't keep track of any wrongdoing. When you actually let that sink in, it is such an amazing feeling.
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Yes that is so true! He is so merciful and has so much patience with us!
 
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Misty9578

Guest
#5
#5
elf3 said:
Here is another look at "trying to be perfect". Instead of striving to be perfect, which we all fail at, just live your life for God each day. If you live your life for God then you don't need to be "perfect". If God wanted "perfection" He would have created us different. What God wants is us to love Him first and foremost and live for Him. Was King David perfect? Nope! Yet he is called a man after God's own heart. If people could say the same for me after I am not on this earth then I could say I did pretty darn good.
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I could be wrong but I believe we are to strive for perfection. The bible says too. The gate is small and the way narrow. We have to be without sin or blemish to enter therein. We need to try to fix our flaws. To pray for Gods strength through each battle that satan throws at us. David had the love God had. We as Christians must have the heart of God. We have to love and forgive and trust people. We have to see good in people rather then their flaws. I believe that noone is perfect but in that moment of repentance we are perfect in Gods eyes. Our sins pull us from Gods grace but in repentance we gain that perfection back and with it Gods grace and mercy.
 
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elf3

Guest
#6
#6
Misty9578 said:
I could be wrong but I believe we are to strive for perfection. The bible says too. The gate is small and the way narrow. We have to be without sin or blemish to enter therein. We need to try to fix our flaws. To pray for Gods strength through each battle that satan throws at us. David had the love God had. We as Christians must have the heart of God. We have to love and forgive and trust people. We have to see good in people rather then their flaws. I believe that noone is perfect but in that moment of repentance we are perfect in Gods eyes. Our sins pull us from Gods grace but in repentance we gain that perfection back and with it Gods grace and mercy.
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But where does our "perfection" come from? It sure isn't from ourselves. If we have given our lives to Christ and we are covered by His blood then we are "seen" as perfect. This in no way say we are perfect or must be perfect to enter heaven. If we must be perfect to enter heaven then not a single person too ever live would be in heaven. Our "perfection" only comes from the blood of Christ but like I said it doesn't mean we are now "perfect".
 
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Misty9578

Guest
#7
#7
Our perfection does come from God. No I by no means believe any man is perfect. Only our Lord Jesus was perfect in the human form, but I do believe we should strive to be perfect and keep from sin. Remember the two commandments that Jesus gave? To love our father in heaven above all and to love and do to others as we would ourselves. Now I'm paraphrasing, but I can look them up if need be. I have them outlined. But if we were to keep just those two commandments then the holiness that God expects from us would fall in place. We are in the flesh, so we will mess up. Will sin. I don't believe there is a day gone by that I haven't either slipped, sinned, or fell short of what Gods ask of me but I do believe that as long as our hearts are in the right place and are intentions are not to slip up that God will show mercy and forgive us when we ask. But if we know where sinning purposefully then no. God will not be mocked. The bible says it. He will turn a person over and let them believe a lie. And I'll be honest. I fell in that category at one point too. I'm so thankful that God did not give up on me. Now if you believe different I'd love to hear your viewpoints. I'm believe I'm right in my viewpoints but there is always room to grow.
 
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elf3

Guest
#8
#8
Misty9578 said:
Our perfection does come from God. No I by no means believe any man is perfect. Only our Lord Jesus was perfect in the human form, but I do believe we should strive to be perfect and keep from sin. Remember the two commandments that Jesus gave? To love our father in heaven above all and to love and do to others as we would ourselves. Now I'm paraphrasing, but I can look them up if need be. I have them outlined. But if we were to keep just those two commandments then the holiness that God expects from us would fall in place. We are in the flesh, so we will mess up. Will sin. I don't believe there is a day gone by that I haven't either slipped, sinned, or fell short of what Gods ask of me but I do believe that as long as our hearts are in the right place and are intentions are not to slip up that God will show mercy and forgive us when we ask. But if we know where sinning purposefully then no. God will not be mocked. The bible says it. He will turn a person over and let them believe a lie. And I'll be honest. I fell in that category at one point too. I'm so thankful that God did not give up on me. Now if you believe different I'd love to hear your viewpoints. I'm believe I'm right in my viewpoints but there is always room to grow.
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Yes this is the point I was trying to convey. I think it was Augustine who said something like "live for God and do what you want". Meaning if we live our lives for God and strive to be like Jesus then we will be on the right track. For sure if we say we are Christians but live indifferent to God's commands then He will turn us over to our own desires. But, if we try to live as God commands and we fall before Him when we fail He will forgive us. No I will never be perfect but I can say I trust God and have full faith in Christ to lead me in the right direction. It is when we try and do things on our own when we get ourselves in trouble. Yes, strive for perfection but don't beat yourself up when you fail. Pray for forgiveness and ask God to help you live better for Him.

Oh and paraphrasing is fine as long as you have the correct meaning which you did :)
 
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Misty9578

Guest
#9
#9
elf3 said:
Yes this is the point I was trying to convey. I think it was Augustine who said something like "live for God and do what you want". Meaning if we live our lives for God and strive to be like Jesus then we will be on the right track. For sure if we say we are Christians but live indifferent to God's commands then He will turn us over to our own desires. But, if we try to live as God commands and we fall before Him when we fail He will forgive us. No I will never be perfect but I can say I trust God and have full faith in Christ to lead me in the right direction. It is when we try and do things on our own when we get ourselves in trouble. Yes, strive for perfection but don't beat yourself up when you fail. Pray for forgiveness and ask God to help you live better for Him.

Oh and paraphrasing is fine as long as you have the correct meaning which you did :)
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I completely agree! Trying to get ahead of God is prob my worst flaw. I need to learn to accept his timing on things. I don't always pray and leave it there. I tend to take it to God and if he don't answer right away then I grab it up and try to figure it out myself. I like the points u brought across.
 
Magenta

Magenta

Senior Member
#10
Jul 3, 2015
60,184
29,488
113
#10
Being perfect also means to be complete. When we are complete within ourselves
(with the help of the Holy Spirit), we are not grasping at worldly things.
 
secularhermit

secularhermit

Banned
#11
May 3, 2013
8,719
75
0
#11
When perfectionism comes (creepidly) we tend to thing the rest of this world is LESS that us.

Such "perfectionism" is vanity and, when we have it, we´ve made an idol of otherselves.

Perhaps, I don´t know, perfectionism leads to spiritual envy (tagged along with other things).

I´m glad Jesus said something like this: "Do not worry!"

I cannot be bigger (or shorted) and, being a complete whole, also could mean I need to tare to get His blessings, like that Samaritan woman who was invited to be married, after she has tried "marriage" with 5 men (who were not her husbands)
 
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Hungry

Banned
#12
Nov 26, 2012
3,095
1,050
113
#12
Just my two cents:

Most Christians struggle with sin their whole lives because they lack perspective. I am an adult. I don't try to act like an adult, it's something I am, not something I hope, or think behavior gives credit to. Now that I am an adult I have responsibilities that I accept, not because I am forced but because I know better. My mind no longer gravitates to childish folly. As Christians we need to accept our identity as a child of God. All new information and beliefs actually cause our brain cells to prune old thoughts and create new synapses based on more current ideas and realizations. Fascinating tool God gave us. We are in fact supposed to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. If you think it is possible to not sin, that information programs our brains to desire righteousness. If you fail to tell yourself that sin is bad and is part of life then the old connections remain, keeping you in bondage. Programming and unprogramming your brain are easy, just ask advertisement companies. The more you see it, the more you believe it, especially when in alpha state like watching television or just waking up or going to sleep. That's just how we learn. This is also a way to lose weight, increase your memory, whatever. You just tell yourself until you believe it, I am a skinny person, I see and record everything. Then you have programmed that into your brain and your brain does the rest. Soon it kills cravings, makes exercise fun and causes your brain to become more retentive. Try it and see! Believing is receiving, I can't make this stuff up.
 
Joidevivre

Joidevivre

Senior Member
#13
Jul 15, 2014
3,838
272
83
#13
I learned more about me and about God's nature through my mistakes.

I really learned more about having compassion for those who are imperfect as I could identify.

God used my imperfections and wrong choices in ways that show what redemption really is.
 
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elf3

Guest
#15
#15
Unfortunately if we are not careful "perfection" could actually kill our faith in Christ. We begin to tell ourselves "I have to be perfect" in our "new" found faith in Christ and trust in Him. As we go thru life we trip and fall and ask God to forgive us and keep our faith in Christ. But as we get older we find that we fail more often than we want and we can actually start "blaming" Jesus for not "keeping" us perfect. We can start to rely upon ourselves unknowingly and start blaming Jesus more and more for not keeping us perfect. We fail to see that thru the blood of Christ we are perfect in Gods eyes and start to wash that blood off of ourselves thinking God "gave up" on us. We forget 1 Cor 10:13 and stop praying to God for strength. We strive so hard under our own will that our faith begins to eb away. We must constantly remind ourselves that it's Jesus who makes us perfect and rely on Him for strength not our own strength. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and "perfection" will become a word that you will never try and use too define yourself. The word "perfect" can only be used to define one person...Jesus!! But thru the blood of Jesus we can be perfect!! (Notice how when I use the word perfect in the last two sentences Jesus is used to define the word, not the word "we").
 
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Misty9578

Guest
#16
#16
Hungry said:
Just my two cents:

Most Christians struggle with sin their whole lives because they lack perspective. I am an adult. I don't try to act like an adult, it's something I am, not something I hope, or think behavior gives credit to. Now that I am an adult I have responsibilities that I accept, not because I am forced but because I know better. My mind no longer gravitates to childish folly. As Christians we need to accept our identity as a child of God. All new information and beliefs actually cause our brain cells to prune old thoughts and create new synapses based on more current ideas and realizations. Fascinating tool God gave us. We are in fact supposed to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. If you think it is possible to not sin, that information programs our brains to desire righteousness. If you fail to tell yourself that sin is bad and is part of life then the old connections remain, keeping you in bondage. Programming and unprogramming your brain are easy, just ask advertisement companies. The more you see it, the more you believe it, especially when in alpha state like watching television or just waking up or going to sleep. That's just how we learn. This is also a way to lose weight, increase your memory, whatever. You just tell yourself until you believe it, I am a skinny person, I see and record everything. Then you have programmed that into your brain and your brain does the rest. Soon it kills cravings, makes exercise fun and causes your brain to become more retentive. Try it and see! Believing is receiving, I can't make this stuff up.
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love your perspective on this!
 
Jason0047

Jason0047

Banned
#17
Jul 22, 2014
10,350
51
0
#17
Dear Misty:

I believe Jesus wants us to be perfect and to stop sinning. In fact, there are many verses that speak about this.

If your interested, you may like this video here:

[VIDEO=youtube;-AQtoN_HdIo]https://youtu.be/-AQtoN_HdIo[/VIDEO]

I hope this helps.

And may God bless you.

Sincerely,

~ Jason.


...
 
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seed_time_harvest

Senior Member
#18
Dec 9, 2011
14,129
1,803
113
#18
elf3 said:
Here is another look at "trying to be perfect". Instead of striving to be perfect, which we all fail at, just live your life for God each day. If you live your life for God then you don't need to be "perfect". If God wanted "perfection" He would have created us different. What God wants is us to love Him first and foremost and live for Him. Was King David perfect? Nope! Yet he is called a man after God's own heart. If people could say the same for me after I am not on this earth then I could say I did pretty darn good.
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The only way to be perfect like our father in heaven is in the spirit born again.

What I think you are talking about is sanctification.
 
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elf3

Guest
#20
#20
seed_time_harvest said:
The only way to be perfect like our father in heaven is in the spirit born again.

What I think you are talking about is sanctification.
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No, what I am taking about is David being called a man after God's own heart but yet not being perfect. How could he be called that but yet not be perfect?

Sanctification is us being drawn back into a relationship with God. This is different than us "striving" to be perfect.
 
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