sin sick.

Hey Alan, thanks for sharing what’s on your heart. I just prayed for you and I’ll keep praying for you if you’d like. What you’re goin through is such a tough thing, which I and many other men and women battle with. In the book of Romans, Paul even says almost exactly what you just said.

“I know that nothing good lives in me, this is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 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.”

But almost immediately after he says this, he states that there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

So man your focus is correct, that you want to come back to Christ and keep your eyes on Him. And there should be a just sorrow of sin in your life. My friends and I have been discussing this recently, and one of them put it this way. That trying to white-knuckle behavioral problems [just trying to focus on stopping the sin] isn’t what living in Christ is about; but that it is keeping your heart and mind on Christ, digging into His word and talking with God. Instead of focusing on the sin, focus on Christ, and his character, pleading with Him to conform you more and more to His image daily. Not to say that we don’t want to pray specifically about and fight or flee from sin in our lives; that is important. But that walking intimately with our Lord Jesus will turn our hearts affections towards Him, and away from sin.

One question I ask myself is if my motive in desiring to break free from this specific sin [lust] is for myself, or for glorifying God. A website that I absolutely love [Setting Captives Free] and encourage you to check out puts it this way. “If we desire to be transformed, we must focus on God’s glory, and God’s glory is wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ. We seek to focus our attention on Christ, so that in fixing out eyes on Him, we will be transformed into His image.”

I know has been a long response, but I just want to encourage you and point you back to scripture. I’d love it if you would keep me updated on how you’re doing, either here or through email. If not that’s cool, but Alan just know that you are fiercely loved by God, and that you are not at all beyond His grace and compassion.

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” – Isaiah 43:25

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.” – Ephesians 5:8-10

“Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.” – Psalm 79:9

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