Have you let God down? Or your family, friends, church, or self? Multiple times?

[Scarlett O.]

Have you tried to quit smoking, find a job, stop cursing, rid yourself of bad habits, lose weight, clean up your house, clean up your act, love the unlovable wife, respect the dishonorable husband, control the uncontrollable children, get back into the will of God, get back into the Word daily, or just turn it all over to Him again....

.....and failed miserably?

Again?

We know that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We know that we are only clay and not the Potter. We know that our success is not based on works or our own accords.

We know we must turn it all over to God and walk in the spirit and not the flesh.

But that doesn't let us off the hook. Once we've allowed God to be the Master Potter and laid these things down at the feet of Christ who strengthens us, we still have to make an effort. We don't just willy-nilly say, "Oh well, I can't do anything about it, so God is just going to have to do it all."

We have to try....under His strength. Under His wing and through His might.

We have to try.

I saw the following list of 10 steps for success in the paper this morning. I was blown away. I think if we applied them under the authority of Philippians 4:13, we could see some change in our lives.

The Top Tens Way to be Successful at Achieving Your Goal
1. Try

2. Try again.

3. Try once more.

4. Try again, and do something differently.

5. Try to ask for help.

6. Try to find someone who has already succeeded.

7. Try again tomorrow.

8. Try to find out what is not working or is hindering you.

9. Try to find out what is working or good for you.

10. Never stop trying.

 

[gb93433]

2 Cor. 12:7-10, "Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."

 

[Scarlett O.]

.............

 

[Palatka51]

There is no try, just do.

Yoda

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

ScarlettO: The Top Tens Way to be Successful at Achieving Your Goal

1. Try

2. Try again.

3. Try once more.

4. Try again, and do something differently.

5. Try to ask for help.

6. Try to find someone who has already succeeded.

7. Try again tomorrow.

8. Try to find out what is not working or is hindering you.

9. Try to find out what is working or good for you.

10. Never stop trying.

HP: If the mind perceives the goal as an absolute impossibility, such admonision is less than useful. The mind repulses at any attempt to do that which it sees as an impossibility and cannot form intents consistent with impossibilities. Either the goal is conceived in the mind as achievable and one can strive to achieve it or it is an impossibility and the mind cannot force itself to try. Which is the goal you speak of? Is it or is it not an impossibility to acheive in this present world?

We are told over and over again that we cannot help but sin and that all sin regardless of what we as believers do is already forgiven, so what is all the fuss about? In this world we are told we are all sinners and liars and will continue to be until we enter heaven where death becomes our sanctifier even as it is opposed to our will on earth. Do you get the picture? All will automatically become holy regardless of the lives they lived on the earth and that in an instant as long as at one point in time they exercised faith in Christ. So again, what is all the fuss? If all saved are seen now as perfect in Christ, and all in the end will be automatically perfect regardless of their actions on this earth in a moment afforded to them by the last enemy of their souls, i.e., death, I would say that you are just are simply causing saved souls a whole lot of consternation in this world for something that will in the end happen of necessity not by striving or trying.

Now Scarlett, you know that is not in reality how I feel, but I believe you need to address the points I raised as it in reality clearly reflects the necessitated sentiments of a whole lot of those we both know. Oh they would not put it that way but that is exactly what the doctrines so many hold to clearly would suggest.

 

[Scarlett O.]

HP - You are trying to lead me down a path of discussion that I ain't wanting to go to. :laugh: :laugh:

Here is what I am saying in a nutshell.

Let's say a Christian is chain smoker and knows that he is violating the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Let's say he has submitted himself to the authority of Jesus Christ and to the healing of Jesus Christ. And he believes firmly in Philippians 4:13.

And he quits smoking after turning it over to God....

.......For about 7 weeks........

.......Then the monkey jumps on his back again.

What's he to do?

Start over. Submit his burden to Christ again. Fall under the deliverance of the Holy Spirit again.

Micah 7:8 - "Do not rejoice over me, o my enemy. When I fall, I shall get up. When I am in the darkness, the LORD is my light."

Proverbs 24:16 - "....a righteous man shall fail seven times, and yet gets up....."

The devil wants us to believe the lie that when we fall off the wagon, so to speak, of old and bad habits in our lives that God is angry, doesn't love us anymore, and has given up on us.

It just ain't so. He may chastise us, allow us to suffer the consequences of our actions, but He desires us to succeed in becoming holy as He is holy and allowing His Son to heal us by His stripes.

And so....

.....as it says in Lamentations 3, the LORD's mercies allow us not to be consumed. This happens because of His compassions and His compassions are new every morning......great is His faithfulness.

 

[Heavenly Pilgrim]

Scarlett: HP - You are trying to lead me down a path of discussion that I ain't wanting to go to.

HP: Ah, come on Scarlett. That path always leads to some exiting and spirited debate.

Scarlett: Here is what I am saying in a nutshell.

Let's say a Christian is chain smoker and knows that he is violating the temple of the Holy Spirit.

HP: First, one that knows to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin according to Scripture. Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Scarlett: Let's say he has submitted himself to the authority of Jesus Christ and to the healing of Jesus Christ.

HP: How can one be submitted to the Holy Spirit and at the same time be resisting the Holy Spirit??
Lu 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
If one is actively engaged in disobedience to a known commandment of God, they are not in submission to the Holy Spirit. Something cannot be and not be in the same sense at the same time.

Scarlett: And he believes firmly in Philippians 4:13.

And he quits smoking after turning it over to God....

.......For about 7 weeks........

.......Then the monkey jumps on his back again.

HP: First he has a great distinct advantage. He knows the power of deliverance from sin, as he has walked in it at least for a while. There can only be one path to a full assurance of his final standing before God, i.e.., to do his first works over and to once again rely on the Holy Spirit to provide the way of escape from his habit.

Scarlett: Start over. Submit his burden to Christ again. Fall under the deliverance of the Holy Spirit again.

Micah 7:8 - "Do not rejoice over me, o my enemy. When I fall, I shall get up. When I am in the darkness, the LORD is my light."

Proverbs 24:16 - "....a righteous man shall fail seven times, and yet gets up....."

HP: Yes and no. Scriptures also CLEARLY states the end of those once righteous but have turned without repentance again to their sin. One is not acting wisely to simply assume ‘once righteous always righteous’ or that because I have been I will always in the end be. Scripture warns us faithfully that such may not be the case. I believe there are clear examples when those once delivered turned again to their sin and in the end were lost. Saul of the OT might be just such an example. Eze 18:24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
Eze 18:26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

Scarlett: The devil wants us to believe the lie that when we fall off the wagon, so to speak, of old and bad habits in our lives that God is angry, doesn't love us anymore, and has given up on us.

HP:I do not know what one may feel, but I do know what the Scriptures warn us of as clear possibilities. All the more reason not to turn back from that which we know to do.

Scartlett: It just ain't so. He may chastise us, allow us to suffer the consequences of our actions, but He desires us to succeed in becoming holy as He is holy and allowing His Son to heal us by His stripes.

HP: Scriptures again make clear the possibility of losing ones soul in the end. The love of God argument simply is shaky ground. God loves the whole world, sinner and saint. I believe God loves the man in hell as well, for He is love. His love does not preclude or disannul His justice and doing that which in the end is best for the whole universe, even if that calls for allowing one to make their own bed in hell in spite of all His efforts to the contrary. No one has the right to presume upon the grace of God when the conditions for the bestowing of His grace are not being met.

 

[Alive in Christ]

I think that EVERY child of God, who has been a christian for an extended period of time, would SURELY acknowledge that they...just like all the rest of us...have "let God down" more times than we could possibly count.

Passing on an opportunity to witness
Not extending love or grace when we SHOULD have.
Not giving a helping hand to someone when we should have.
Taking the "easy" way out, when Christ is asking us to take the "hard" route.

Etc...etc...etc...

In other words, any time that we discern Christ pointing out us to what he wants us to do, and we "rationalize" ourselves into not doing it, or that it wast'nt *really* Christ leading us in that way.

Of course, as born again people we WANT to allow Christ to live through us, and we do. We discern His leading, and we join in with the ministry He leads us to participate in.


But not always. We are all guilty or rationalising things away from time to time.

We all do it sometimes, unfortunetly.

 

[Jedi Knight]

Proverbs 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Psalm 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

 

[Thinkingstuff]

Proverbs 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Psalm 37:24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.

That's a big encouragement for me. I fail many times. But Scarlett O is correct. You got to get up and keep trying. Its easy to become discouraged and give up (and at times I've done this too.) God's grace always brings me back to trying again. "Don't be weary in well doing" even if that well doing is putting yourself under control. First to yourself and then submit it to God. You ever find that you often don't even listen to yourself. I want to do this but I don't do that which I know I should do?

 

[Melanie]

O yes indeed.....but one just keeps getting up and trying because of the almighty loving kindness that is my Saviour. :godisgood:

 

[billwald]

>but one just keeps getting up and trying

Doing good works, trying to love God and neighbor. These are the only tests for salvation.

 

[Jedi Knight]

The Christian life is a constant falling down and getting up all the way to Heaven. Sheep fall into mud and feel dirty....but want to get out and get clean. Pigs on the other hand LOVE to play in the mud and have NO desire to be clean. We were given a new nature that wants to please God but still have the flesh to battle with. The lost have no desire for the things of God because no Holy Spirit inside them. Hope this helps!:wavey: