Hi Everyone,
I became a Christian some years ago, however I feel I struggle a lot as I don’t have many Christian friends. I feel I often wander from God, and it often leads to making bad choices and then running back to God. It upsets me because I know how amazing God is and I want him to be a constant part of my life as when I am committed, my life is so much better in every way possible.
Now I feel have hit a tough spot and realise I must trust in the Lord with all my heart and listen to his word and listen to what he wants me to do. Will God forgive me for straying and making bad choices? I just feel in such a bad place right now. I feel riddled with guilt, shame and sadness.
While being away from God I have slept with men and now I await result from a sexual health checkup and I feel I may be punished for going away from God. I am so scared, frightened and ashamed. I have prayed and I have given my sins to the Lord. I just feel I need prayers, understanding and to be shown the right path for me.
Do I even deserve to be forgiven? I just pray I will be rescued from the torment in my mind, I pray I can change my life. Is this possible? It is so difficult as I feel there is a huge stigma around Christianity, and I feel I need to get involved with Church again and surround myself with fellow Christians.
I ask for prayers please.
Thank you.
Please read John Chapter 8. Jesus does not condemn you. He picks you back up, and sets you on the path He as prepared for you. Then immerse yourself in God’s word, especially the New Testament, until you are prepared for all the slings and arrows of the evil one who wishes to destroy you.
Dear sister:
I sincerely hope everything, everything goes fine concerning your sexual health and your future steps in faith. May the Lord show you his immense mercy again! Be greately encouraged.
To give you a sincere answer, I want my point to be the following: please acknowledge that sin and its consequences are completely independent of our spiritual condition (check it with the Bible, then firmly believe it!). Sin will always have consequences, my dear Sister, and we can ask God to remove them, which He can do, but the truth is that in Christ you will be forgiven, and your faith will hold you to your path to heaven no matter if you took wrong decisions on earth. Just remain humble to the King, and wholeheartedly repent: call sin by its name: a mistake. Turn your back on it. Whatever the result with this examination, dear sister, run away from the previous life style, it’s only bringing you bad fruits. If you happen to fall again -please don’t!-, the throne of mercy is again there. Keep on humility and the Lord will take care of the rest: forgiveness, restoration, sanctification.
I would like to further recommend you a couple of Bible verses: 2. Samuel 11 and 12 (About sexual sin, God’s scolding, repentance, God’s forgiveness allowing the consequences). Please also read Romans 7 and 8 (about our wish and will to please God and our human weakness before sin, and our hope in Jesus Christ). 1. Corinthians 3:11-15 (saved, in spite of the “fire”, saved)
Be encouraged, sister!! Jesus died for you!! the Lord bless you and may he grant you getting past this with no further problems!
And yes, GOD CAN FORGIVE YOU AND HE IS WILLING TO DO SO
God loves you and knows already all that you will say, do, think, etc and yet He still loves you. Read Psalm 119. You can work through making changes and turning from sin with the help of the Holy Spirit. Depending on God is your way out of the sadness and pain from you sin. The sin you are in is a common stumbling of humanity. God always provides a way out of temptation. Read 1 Corinthians 13:10. Look for the way out that God provides, pray to see that way out, pray to have the strength to take it. Use the word of God as you weapon against the lies of the devil that say God wants to punish you, that God can’t forgive you, that being a Christian is somehow strange. These are lies of the devil. Put you faith and trust in Jesus to be your savior and Lord of your life. Jesus will guide the way. And yes, get into fellowship in a church or bible study. Find people to share the burdens with that can encourage you in your faith. Praying for you.
Dear sister, I just read your story – thank you for being so honest and open! I just thought of a couple of things, not a long reply:
1) You asked if you deserve to be forgiven?
My first thought here was that NOBODY deserves to be forgiven – everyone is by nature a sinner, BUT GOD has reached out to us all through Jesus – remember that Jesus said that a well person does not need a doctor, but a sick person does! We are all sick people, and we are blessed if we can admit this and simply turn to our greatest Doctor, Jesus!
2) We all have an Enemy, the Devil! Even if you don’t believe in Satan as a literal person, Jesus made it quite clear that there is a strong force or person of evil in the world, and he especially hates those who have turned their back on following him, in order to follow the Lord Jesus. St Paul said that we need to be aware of Satan’s schemes – also that God provides all the armour and tools we need to get the better of Satan (Ephesians Chapter 16).
I pray that you will know how simple it is to admit to God that you have not always done what is best, and receive from Him the tools to pick yourself up and keep walking with Christ. Ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit, who is a real Person just as much as Jesus and the Father are.
St Paul said that Father’s love is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Whom God has given to those who believe in Jesus (and it seems to me that you still do!) and who humbly ask Him. Praying for you – the battle is the Lord’s!
Dear Sister, you are not in some special category where you’ve sinned SO BADLY that you cannot be forgiven. To think this way is an odd form of pride in that you think know better than God if you’re forgivable or not. The Bible often talks about Gods forgiveness and if we repent honestly and ask for forgiveness then He will forgive us. Very plain and simple.
” If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9
We all sin daily but we have to be consistent in recognizing that sin , asking for forgiveness and turning from our sin. God will give us His grace, and grace is His strength, to turn from sin. Ask Him for His help. He loves you and wants to help you.
Yes, also you should go to church and get in fellowship with other believers. They will help you and pray for you when you get into moments of weakness. The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective.
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” – James 5:16
True Salvation is a Gift from our gracious God. You can’t earn it, you can’t buy it, you can’t except by God’s Grace ever get there. How do you receive it if you are left helpless in the face of such a gracious God? There must be something done to receive salvation. Yes, yes, you are right about that, but it is not self-generated, rather a response to God’s unconditional Love for you.
The problem many have, maybe most people have, is that they are so much in love with their “false ego” which is not really you, and being so attached to that false ego you become unwilling to let it go for anything, not even for the Love of God. You will likely deceive yourself and try to deserve salvation by your own action, PRIDE, I can do this, I don’t need any help, after all I lead a good life, therefore I should deserve Heaven, before many of my friends who are, in my judgement, not nearly as worthy as I am.
Sorry my friend you are wrong. All, including you have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. Your false ego cannot survive in Heaven and in fact, Heaven would be Hell for you and disruptive of those who belong because the King of their heart is Christ Jesus, and fully aligned with God’ Will and His Way. Being in love with Our Lord, sharing in the complete harmony with all the others also in Heaven, everything is shared; it’s JOY becomes greatly increased beyond anything one can now imagine, Heaven’s Glory forevermore, available to all who will trade their old useless false self for the Glory of new Life in Him, Our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, God’s only plan for all of us.
Please for your sake just say yes, yes to the God of all Creation and He will do the rest, It may hurt for a while as the old is removed and His Eternal Life becomes yours in Him. Praise God’s Holy Name forevermore. God is so good!