There’s much to be celebrated when you resist sin, and in the moment when it’s tough you choose to glorify God with your body. While it may seem like a small light compared to how many times you might have failed, hold on to that and beg God to continue to conform you to Christ.

Man your words seem all too familiar for me and I’m sure many other men out there. One thing I have found that is helpful is to pray before you shower, asking God to redeem that time for His glory, and use it to sing worship.

I’ve prayed for you as I know you have as well, and God has heard our prayers. My prayer for you is that you will be honest with God, quick to repent, joyful in His forgiveness and steadfast in pursuing His glory.

His grace isn’t dependent on our actions, but stands on Jesus Christ’s blood shed for us and the unending grace that flows from Him.

Thank you for sharing and being willing to put yourself out there. I hope that you continue that openness in your life and keep in accountability and prayer. Just a few verses that came to mind tonight…

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” – Romans 11:36 – 12:1

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10:19-23

I know for myself that I struggle and fail most often when I in fact don’t hate the sin. When I become comfortable with it. When I become okay with the fact that I’m cheating on God, committing adultery against the sovereign LORD with my eyes and flesh with hardly a second thought to my actions.

It’s not okay. It’s anything but okay, however, there is repentance. The life of a man after God should be marked with repenting over sin, till the day you die. And that’ll be me, and I pray it will be you as well. You’re correct that God is so, so much better than anything we can even dream of. So brother, set your eyes on Christ, and be encouraged that your sin has been dealt with by your Savior who desperately loves you.

Thank you for sharing what’s on your heart.

I know we talked in person but I thought I would just put up some scripture here for the encouragement of others.

“And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach – if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister”. – Colossians 1:21-23

We are reconciled to God through Christ’s blood shed for us. If you claim Christ and have trusted Him with your salvation, His grace is no more or less abounding in you today than it was that sweet day when He rescued your soul.

His grace is sufficient. Praise God that He is so beyond description, beyond what our words can say about Him.

There’s freedom in confession and repentance, and you are BLESSED when you come back to the Father with a repentant heart.

“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” – Psalm 32:1-5

“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

“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba,Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8:15-17)

“Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-18)

Lord God, I pray for S and I thank you for him. You know him. I ask that you will move in his heart, that you will create in him a new heart that is on fire for you. I ask that you will give him the desire to pursue things that please you and bring glory to your name. Jesus, thank you that you died for S, and for every single person, “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:6-8). You freely pardon us, and I pray that S will pursue you with the desire to know you more and to grow intimately with you. We know that we are not justified by works, and so I pray that his heart will be to please you, and that you will deliver him from his struggles so He can give the glory to you. Jesus, I pray these things in your name, and by your name only. Amen.

Thank you for asking for prayer. If you feel open to it, I would love to hear how you are doing as the days/weeks go by.

Romans 3:20-26
Psalm 25:8-9

I’m praying that you will fix your eyes on Christ, and chase after Him and Him alone. That He will bless you as a leader, giving you a passion to know Him and to be a light for the sisters around you. Also that He will give you a friend to help walk with you and encourage you in your desire to give up the temptation of alcohol.

Thank you K for being open to prayer. God bless you.

Psalm 17:1

Psalm 25:11

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to seperate us from the love of God that is Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans is really encouraging man. Once you have Christ, there’s nothing, even that He created, that can seperate you from His love. Thank God! This is advice I need to take myself, but “approach the throne of grace with confidence.” His grace doesn’t run out; it can’t.

Thanks for posting and being open to others praying for you.

“… Eat, O friends, and drink; drink your fill, O lovers.” (Song of Solomon 5:1)