I became a Christian when I was ten years old. We moved to a born again church and I wanted to have Jesus as my personal Saviour. Unfortunately my idea of how to be a Christian was based on being 'good enough' according to obeying the Ten Commandmentsc and not doing anything wrong. I did not understand grace.
I had been reasonably happy until I made my commitmenrt to God. But shortly afterwards I became unhappy and depressed. No matter how hard I tried to be 'good enough' and not do things that were wrong the worse I became. I became depressed and wracked with guilt, believing I was a terrible sinner and would go to hell. I became obsessed with sex and masturbation. Thiss continued for many years. All the time I believed in God, but was convinced I could never live as He wanted me to. I wondered what it was about me that was so bad that I couldn't live as I saw other Christians act in Church.
I gave up with God in the end believing it was impossible for someone like me to be a Christian. Eventually after getting in trouble with the police I ended up in prison.
For the first time in my life I read the New Testament beyond the Gospels. I read that you cannot be good enough to get to Heaven, or earn your way there, or get there by good works, or by obeying God's good laws. I was amazed. I found that I actually could be accepted by God if I trusted in his son to save me from my sins. And so I became a Christian and there was dramatic change in my life. Even the masturbation stopped.
But upon my release from prison despite all God had done for my I entered a relationship that was against what God wanted for me. It cost me thirty years of unhappiness and the lust returned. You cannot ignore God and get away with it. But despite how I treated God He has forgiven me and is dealing with the junk that came with my disobediance to him. Truly God never stops loving us.
I know now why as a young Christian lust took hold of my life. The Apostle Paul said.
That when the commandment came sin sprang to life and wrought in him all manner of concupiscence.
Concupiscence means lustful desires according to the dictionary. Paul is clear in his writing. It is the law that causes sin to enslave us. Only by dying to the law could he be free to truly live for Christ. That's grace. Jesus died for every sin we could ever commit, so we might live not according to the law that gives sin it's power 1Cor15:56, but accordng to the Sprit that leads to life.
In America half of sex addicts have been through 'holiness' churches. If it is stressed that our Christianity depends on obeying God's laws and keeping the Ten Commandments I believe a genuine and sincere person will then be open to the same as happened to Paul. Why? Because the law is what sin uses to enslave us.
Paul says.
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law Christ died for nothing. Gal2:21
But he also said.
Do we then nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather we uphold the law. Rom3:31
I have written very briefly what I have found in my own life to be true. If anyone reads this who finds that sin just becomes more dominant in their lives, despite in their hearts wnting to live as God would have us live. I would ak you to consider. Are you living by faith in Jesus? Or are you living by trying to be good enough according to God's good laws?
Paul said.
We can have no confidence in the flesh. Only Jesus can change us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Anything else must result in faliure.
God Bless
I had been reasonably happy until I made my commitmenrt to God. But shortly afterwards I became unhappy and depressed. No matter how hard I tried to be 'good enough' and not do things that were wrong the worse I became. I became depressed and wracked with guilt, believing I was a terrible sinner and would go to hell. I became obsessed with sex and masturbation. Thiss continued for many years. All the time I believed in God, but was convinced I could never live as He wanted me to. I wondered what it was about me that was so bad that I couldn't live as I saw other Christians act in Church.
I gave up with God in the end believing it was impossible for someone like me to be a Christian. Eventually after getting in trouble with the police I ended up in prison.
For the first time in my life I read the New Testament beyond the Gospels. I read that you cannot be good enough to get to Heaven, or earn your way there, or get there by good works, or by obeying God's good laws. I was amazed. I found that I actually could be accepted by God if I trusted in his son to save me from my sins. And so I became a Christian and there was dramatic change in my life. Even the masturbation stopped.
But upon my release from prison despite all God had done for my I entered a relationship that was against what God wanted for me. It cost me thirty years of unhappiness and the lust returned. You cannot ignore God and get away with it. But despite how I treated God He has forgiven me and is dealing with the junk that came with my disobediance to him. Truly God never stops loving us.
I know now why as a young Christian lust took hold of my life. The Apostle Paul said.
That when the commandment came sin sprang to life and wrought in him all manner of concupiscence.
Concupiscence means lustful desires according to the dictionary. Paul is clear in his writing. It is the law that causes sin to enslave us. Only by dying to the law could he be free to truly live for Christ. That's grace. Jesus died for every sin we could ever commit, so we might live not according to the law that gives sin it's power 1Cor15:56, but accordng to the Sprit that leads to life.
In America half of sex addicts have been through 'holiness' churches. If it is stressed that our Christianity depends on obeying God's laws and keeping the Ten Commandments I believe a genuine and sincere person will then be open to the same as happened to Paul. Why? Because the law is what sin uses to enslave us.
Paul says.
I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law Christ died for nothing. Gal2:21
But he also said.
Do we then nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather we uphold the law. Rom3:31
I have written very briefly what I have found in my own life to be true. If anyone reads this who finds that sin just becomes more dominant in their lives, despite in their hearts wnting to live as God would have us live. I would ak you to consider. Are you living by faith in Jesus? Or are you living by trying to be good enough according to God's good laws?
Paul said.
We can have no confidence in the flesh. Only Jesus can change us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Anything else must result in faliure.
God Bless