Struggling with Addiction

You cannot earn your place in heaven. You are saved by grace and kept by grace. I don't know how much of a bible student you are but read and meditate on scriptures that point out what it cost Christ to redeem sinners like you and I and all saved people are. This will break your heart and cause you to want to be more obedient to him who sacrificed his life for you.

 

Welcome to the forum, birdlover99, I hope your time here will be blessed and that you in turn will be a blessing to those here.

My advice would be to immerse yourself in study. You are in a good place to fill time that might be spent otherwise, and Doctrinal Discussion and Debate is, in my view, something that can accelerate our growth.

I think many of us can relate to how you feel, so take heart, it only gets worse, lol. Meaning, as we better understand the holiness of God, the more sin we recognize in our hearts, and in our lives, and just how far we are from that righteous standard Christ sets. So kick around the threads and join in some discussion with those here, and I am confident that a love for the Word of God, and a hunger to know Him and His Word better, will bring about the cleansing only the Word of God can accomplish in our lives.

Again, welcome to the forum.


God bless.

 

The sins that are hardest to over come are best fought on your knees in prayer. Ask the Lord for the solution.
MB

 

I am glad to know that you have finally realized those things. And I totally agree with what you have said, if you already feel shameful about what you're doing in your private place, then that's already a sign that you should now ditch doing that habit of yours because it would never please God.

 

The first step is admitting we are sinners and recognizing our sin. I know it is a struggle but since you aren't fighting it, it will only get easier. I know it sounds cliché, but prayer is the ONLY thing that got me through any type of addiction. Reading the Word tends to make us want to read more, then we have less time for other things. God bless and I'll keep you in my prayers.

 

If the temptation to re-download the material that was sinful appears, are you willing to get rid of the Kindle?

 

There is nothing hidden in our life here on earth that will not be eventually disclosed before all of heaven! Luke 8:17: "For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all."

Romans 2:16; "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ …"
Eccles. 12:13-14: "The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything, which is hidden, whether it is good or evil."

I successfully hid an addiction for nearly twenty years. No one, and I mean no one, ever discovered it, no did they even suspect that I would be involved with such sinful acts! The funny thing was, that after I nearly ended my life over the years of guilt from not being able to dump the addiction, I found God setting me free, and after I bounced back and dropped the habit, it was me, through the prodding of the Holy Ghost, that got me to give my testimony of addiction and the misery it caused, and that testimony eventually ended up in my first book!

So, it goes to prove that God will not let any secret in your life go undisclosed!

 

birdlover99, I'm so glad you're reaching out for advice and help! I want you to know that you're not alone, nor are you the only person who has battled secret sin. The enemy uses the same old tricks on all of us, only his medium varies, according to our particular weakness. Keep pressing in to the Word, and you will gain more and more strength thru Christ. Remember, you can do ALL things thru Him who strengthens you!
Also as salzer mtn has said, we could never earn our salvation. It is a merciful gift, from a loving God.

 

Things might go undisclosed on this earth, but they will never go undamaging. In some way, even the most private sins will eventually dash us to pieces. They rot our relationship with God, allow Satan to fool with parts of your live he has no legitimate claim to, and in the end, they'll affect our reward (not our salvation or promise of eternity, but our reward - two separate ideas).

There are many, many wonderful reasons to start sabotaging your sin instead of your walk with God. I'm hopeful for you.

 

I understand you because I have been you!... In my day there was no help as there is now... My suggestion is find other Christians that are struggling with the same thing you are... I had to hit rock bottom and know of others whose testimony has said the same thing... Surround yourselves with others who will be more compassionate than judgmental... We all have our faults and failures and never forget that Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking who he may devour... He has an appetite for those who follow Christ... Some on here would not even talk to me if they know what I've been through... God knows it all and delivered me with mighty hand... When sometimes use on here Sinner Saved, to me it is more than just words... Pour out your heart to God... Read the Psalms and see how David poured out his contrite and broken heart to God... Remember man looks on the appearance only, God looks on the heart... it is more the posture of you heart as well as your knees... I agree with what has been said you can't earn your place in heaven Jesus Christ already earned it for you... I'm a definite believer in the Sovereign Grace of almighty God... Proverbs 11:14 Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety... Brother Glen

 

Don't worry about trying to feel you deserve it, that is just one of the basic truths we need to understand better...we don't deserve Christ dying in our place.

Christ didn't "earn our place in Heaven," rather, our place in Heaven is due to His dealing with sin. All of us were guilty and undeserving, this is why we view our salvation as by grace alone. When we go to Heaven, we don't have the "right" to be there, so to speak, we are there by grace independent of what we have done, and even more so in spite of what we have done. I'm not trying to sound like I am nit-picking, birdlover99, just want to point out we will never be deserving of what Christ has done for us, and understanding that helps us to set aside thoughts that might lead us to seek to "repay" Christ through what we do or accomplish. Those good works will come, because you were created in Christ Jesus to do good works. So just be patient and you will see God's grace working in your life as you grow.

But I understand what you mean. Perhaps what you might be looking for is that place where you can feel you are doing your reasonable service. I think most of us feel that way. From the temporal perspective, we want to try to repay in whatever way we can, that which He has done for us. We can't repay that debt, and God does not expect us to, all He expects is obedience. And obedience is not something we wake up and decide to do one day, birdlover99, it is a hard-fought war filled with battles, some we win, some we lose. The War has a Plan of Strategy we can refer to, that is the Word of God, and we face those battles best when we understand the battleground better.

When I was saved I was a drunk and drug addict. God took those things out of my life. I thought, at the time, that not using was a sure sign of my salvation. I thought these were the toughest battle I would face, and was very happy to finally be free from those things.

But then the Lord started showing me the sin in my life. He is still doing that. Drugs and alcohol were just one battle in the war we enter, and while I don't diminish how tough a battle that is, my perspective categorized sin. I found out that there were going to be other battles I would face, which at the time I was saved, I was not even aware of then.

So again, be patient, and don't expect too much from yourself. The things God intends for you to accomplish...He will prepare you for. The battles you face...He will be there to guide you through. While there is a reasonable service we offer up to God, let's not forget we are children of God, and our Heavenly Father will train us up in the way we should go. He does not demand of Man anything that He Himself is not willing to do, so trust in your Father to help you as you grow. He saved you by grace, He will also keep you in grace. He did for us that which we could never do, and for that there is no restitution, no demand for repayment, for He is the one that paid the price for us, despite how undeserving we were. That is the love of God, unequaled by man.


God bless.

 

You are reaching out and you are trying to change your life and that is the main thing. One step at a time is better then staying in one place! Continue to do what you are doing to make your life a better place. I will say a prayer for you.

 

People who are trying to make a negative situation they're in, into a positive one can only be admired. Too often people just accept the situation they're in and blame everyone around them for what is happening.

Standing up, taking responsibility for your life and asking God to guide you when you need it the most is how people make a difference to the world, too many are more concerned with blaming God, than learning the lessons he's trying to teach.