Bible Discussion Thread

I am a baptized Christian and have been reading the Bible daily 4 over 25 years ,i know what i am and am not supposed 2 do and say and believe and every single day i am ashamed of myself for the things that i do and say and think and feel and all the things that i should have said and done ,in other words every day i sin and every day i am sorry and ashamed of myself 4 my sins .After all this time i think i should b able 2 go 1 whole day without sinning ,i am truely weary of my own sinfull self .I thank my God ,the Holy One of Israel ,and his sinless only begotten son ,Jesus Christ the Righteous for being so long suffering and generous and kind and mercyfull 2 me ,even though they know me and all my horribleness better than i even know my own sinfull self ,i am truely thankful that God is not like us ,he is perfect and pure and beautiful and faithful and mercyful and very kind hearted and understanding ,nothing like me !

Suzanne, I can see from what you've shared, that you are very sensitive & careful to please the Lord in every area of your life. And yes, we if are honest with ourselves, hardly a day would go by without some sin or some aberrant behaviour we express, that affects us before God & our own consciences. And it would be wrong for anyone to tell you that you are overly introspective & to overlook these things. No sin, however insignificant, can be overlooked & yet, as you state, we are daily cast upon God's mercies & forgiveness because of the shed Blood of His Son, for forgiveness & restoration.

This is the battle we all face in life as Christians & the word to us is always to persevere in our faith & not lose heart. Satan will always be at our door to force us or trap us into some sin - we will be victorious over some - we might fail in others. But I see a couple of key things here for you (& each of us): when our spirits are affected because of some act of sin, we know that it is God's Spirit within us Who is reminding us of our slip up & He is there to help you find forgiveness & restoration: God's Presence. The other thing is that through such failure, we are being taught & strengthened in being more watchful for the next time & in better dealing with it: God's Power. In other words, even though we might not see it, as we gain victories over sin, however small, we are learning to be fully cast upon the Lord & we are becoming more like Him.

If there's a particular area of your life that you know that Satan is attacking you in & causing you to sin, then it is something that needs to be brought before the Lord & your special attention through prayer, reading the Word & using it in those times of temptation. For some, it may be, being given to anger easily, or impatience, or careless thoughts, or many other areas of weakness. All these areas, God is able to help you, strengthen & guide you through, as you look to Him & rest in Him. 1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:2,3.

Thankyou sooo much 4 taking the time 2 give me such encouragement and support ,i really do appreciate that and your words have comfortef me a lot ,im probably going 2 cause outrage now by saying publicly that satan does not make me sin ,i am the sinner ,the sin is all mine ,i am responsible 4 my own sin , the wages of sin is death and i earn those wages all by myself ,i know God loves and forgives me through Christ my sinless redeemer and you have cheered me up today by not allowing me 2 forget one of the most important principles of Christian truth ,forgiveness ,thanks so much ,may God bless you ,sorry ,may God continue to bless you .

Whether it is sin that weights us down in life or other debilitating circumstances we find ourselves in, it is in God's Plan that both His Spirit & His children be ready to assist to save another from being overwhelmed in Satan's grip. When one member of the Body suffers, we all suffer & the only remedy we can give is our support & encouragement.

I was interested to read your comment: "satan does not make me sin ,i am the sinner ,the sin is all mine ,i am responsible 4 my own sin". I think I understand what you're saying, if by that you mean, that the sin in you & which continues to surface, is because it's already there & that Satan remains just a mute spectator. Even though there is merit in that & we all suffer with a fallen sinful nature passed on to us from the beginning, it is Satan himself who is ever present to appeal to that nature causing us to either obey his voice or to withstand him. Our fallen nature is just that: a nature already degenerated so that no good thing can come out of it. Yes, we might do many good things in our lifetime for people & society in general, but the equal propensity to do evil in our nature also exists. How often, we can be told of a man, decent in every way, loving his family, upright in business, but all of a sudden goes into an outrage against someone who has severely offended him & then lets all control & sensibility be lost, by taking another's life. That almost doesn't make sense, but it's reality as sin is ever present that can make us behave in unimaginable ways, not just by bringing disgrace to ourselves but in greatly offending God.

So you may be "the sinner & the sin is all yours", but every time you fall it's not just sin manifesting itself in you of its own accord, but Satan who takes up the fallen nature & your propensity to sin, to cause that root of sin to be revived & expressed. However, if one finds a delight to sin, I then agree that it comes from us - but we would need to question our faith. James 1:14,15.

Thanks again 4 talking 2 me about this ,i do appreciate your input very much ,there r 2 things that i struggle with amd im happy 2 talk about 21 of them ,i shall try 2 keep it brief ,in 2017 i was under some stress and sadness that i wasnt able 2 express properly ,my favourite aunty who i love very much became very ill and i knew as soon as i heard that she would die of it ,no one else in my family seemed 2 think this would happen but i knew she wwoulddie ,of course i couldnt go around telling every one this ,so i had 2 keep it 2 my self so in effect i started grieving inwardly 4 her 6 months b 4 she actually died ,during this time i had my 50th birthday and was expected 2 celebrate and b happy so i had 2 put a face on 4 that ,my aunty died 1 week after my 50th .Well ,ive never had a lot of sympathy or patience 4 people with addiction problems ,whatever their addiction might b ,i come from a family of addicts of all sorts ,but when i heard about my aunty i started 2 buy things of the internet ,mostly bits of silver jewellery ,im not rich so i was careful 2 look 4 bargains but i was so happy 2 recieve something nice in the post when i was feeling quite miserable ,by 2018 i realised what i was doing and got a grip of myself then covid came and at the very begining of the 1st lockdown in march my most favourite uncle died suddenly and we werent able 2 give him a family burial ,si ive been buying a few bits of silver again and im so annoyedat myself ,i think imgetting a grip again ,maybe i neede 2 learn not 2 look down my nose at addicts ? I think ive got a handle on my covetousness but i need 2 b tougher in my faith and appreciate all that i have ,better is the sight of the eye than the wandering of the desire.Thanks 4 all your help .

Thank you for sharing so intimately Suzanne. I know, life get's quite difficult & complicated when we have to experience hurdles or sadnesses that might cause us to lose our grip on it. In your case, after the passing away of your Aunt & then an Uncle, you began to console yourself somewhat by needlessly buying things. While it's true that we respond differently to situations, it's more important that we realize that we are no longer in control of ourselves & doing what is right for our lives, & seek to stop our actions, committing ourselves to the Lord for help.

We have a lady friend, a good Christian, who grew up in a very poor family, barely having any comforts in life apart from a bed & other essentials. Also being abused as a youngster, added to her sadness & poor outlook on life. After her marriage to a fine Christian man & both having good jobs, she all of a sudden came 'into money' which she never had before. Not having the privilege of learning about administering finances, she started to buy things (e.g. if she liked a pair of shoes in one colour, she had to have it in all the colours available in the store so she would have a matching pair for her (many) clothes). Her husband despairs, but understands where she's coming from & to some extent allows her. But what we see is a reaction, however abnormal & absurd, to a life of poverty earlier.

Even though you have bought cheaply over the internet, it's still money that has not been wisely spent - it helps to think that we could put aside that spare cash to give to someone in need - it may become more satisfying to you to see the expression of appreciation on someone's face than of a build up of silver objects in the drawer. And of course, the Lord would be pleased by your acts of love to your 'neighbour' & denying yourself. Commit this specific weakness (certainly not a major sin) to the Lord - ask Him what you can do for others or provide for another's needs, that can help you overcome this weakness.