#battling sin

[geminiagentgreen]

Remember, Christian, if you are battling lust and the flesh: You are not your sinful desires, you are a new creation in Christ. You do not need to satiate that which would ruin you, and you are not alone in and with your struggles.

[skystonedclouds]

I know God tells us not to have idols and at first I didn’t think I did but then I read that idols aren’t just little figurines day golden cows but are preoccupations of the mind that takes the place of God by offering some kind of false hope, relief, satisfaction, and of course those feelings don’t last. How can I let go of these obsessions and idols and make God my only number one

Dear Anon,

It’s is good you recognize that idols are anything we value over God. It can be easy to fall into this trap in a consumerist country. It is as if every ad is like “Try this and it will be your savior”. There is only one savior and he is a mighty one! I once wrote to a friend about this issue. Society wants us to grasp for vapor basically rather than actual cups of water to quench our thirst. 

Isaiah 55:1-3 (ESV) “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy. Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David [by the sure love he showed to David]”.

Jesus goes as far as to say people believe in Him not for His miracles but for the way He fills people. He satisfies their longings of hunger, thirst and cravings.

John 6:26 (ESV) Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves”.

The best answer I think is found in Psalm. 

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

What I mean here is you must taste, spend time with and build a greater love for God. God often compares His relationship with his church as a sort of marriage. When you are in love with a man or woman everyone else kind of disappears right? 

I do not know what idols you are dealing with. I do not know your specific situation so the way I see it is that you need a greater zeal for God. I call it “growing in faith” the more we depend on Him the more we trust him. Faith is trust which I could compare to a “leap of faith”. Take these symbolic “leaps of faith” with God. 

I know I share a lot of sermons it’s only because this is how I grew. I listened to these sermons and they really go in deep on topics more than just a general quick broad shallow list. I specifically am sending you videos on growing a greater love or faith for God. These might seem random but I think by the end you will find they cover deeply many angles of this issue. The good news is even if this does not help this specific area (depending on the full context) it will help you as it helped me in other ways.

You might wonder “why?”. I will only say because this is a relationship not a one sided story. 

The church of Ephesus in Revelations. Goal: Understanding the will of God.

Getting out of the boat of comfort towards faith. Goal: Growing your faith in God.

Sensitivity to the knock of God. Goal: Listening for the subtle calls of God without hesitation.

The love of God sweeter than wine (watch the full series of 3 though you can take days or weeks to watch this series). Goal: Understanding the love of God. 

Letting go of sin. Goal: Repenting and letting go from any sins. 

So now if you specifically want sin fighting tips on top of these I made a post in the past for things that have worked for me (for general sins). 

What do I do when I find something is taking the place of God? 

I cut it out or what Christians call “fast”. This is even why we fast from food, video games, tv shows, electronic devices and so on. Take time to fast from things so it is not “an addiction”. I know fasting from things apply more to things we may be dependent on. Idols specifically need to be removed for longer sometimes permanently or to the point it is no longer an idol. 

1 Corinthians 6:12  (KJV)  All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

I made an idol of a person (a boyfriend) so I left them. I was dating them before I was saved then as soon as I was saved I saw my idolatry. I knew then that we are only meant to date other Christians. He was not a Christian so on top of dumping him I had to block him. I had to go cold turkey mode unable to deny the fact this was dangerous to my spiritual life. I will tell you it is worth it when you trade anything in for God. I know this verse applies to husbands but he was a potential husband (who was planning to marry me). One of the hardest things I’ve ever done but worth.

Matthew 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Feel free to keep in contact about any concerns of if there is anything that comes to mind :) 

[bdking71]

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[simul-justus-et-peccator]

"The only way you and I can resist sin and overcome temptation is by the power of God. Left to ourselves we will wander, sin, and turn from God's good ways to our own evil and wicked ways. That is why we need God's mercy not just at one point in our life when we put our faith in Jesus, we need His mercy at every single moment. This is the Christian life, a life of moment by moment, dependence on the mercy, grace, strength, power and help of God."

David Platt