I fully believe that he is my Lord and Savior. But I've got some repentance that I've been having a real hard time with. Struggling so to speak.
I know I have to fully surrender. I just don't know how.
Maybe a better question is how to repent and get help from Jesus doing it? I'm sure many of us are trying, failing, and trying to figure it out particular sins that we struggle with.
I know this may be the place to ask and find someone who can give real advice on how they changed their life, maybe some scripture advice, and repented. I've prayed a lot to ask God to help me, and he HAS in ways I didn't expect. But I know he wants me to take the wheel and drive rather than him taking care of it. I just don't know how to fully surrender and accept things the way that they are.
Anyways, thanks in advance. Prayers and advice would be much appreciated.
God Bless You All.
When you get hungry, you eat. To maintain your physical strength, you must eat often. Well to maintain your spiritual strength, you must eat of the word of God often too. Take up and read your bible often and it will refresh you. Pray every minute you can, and god will restore your spiritual strength. You may fail at times, but keep chasing after God, that is what counts. Surrendering youself to Gods will is not something you do once and your done, it something you have to do every second of every day. For some people, that is easier done than it may be for others, but God understands our struggles.
Like C.S. Lewis said, for the people unburdened by sin possibly because of their digestion or other condition, this is not their gift to God, it is God's gift to them, and when we all dies, all that goodness that was a product of their nature will fall off, and we all we be reviled for our heart.
C.S. Lewis comments that in those persons who strive but fail because of a tendency to sin, those with an impulse to sin, but turn from that sin, that turning may be a greater victory in Gods eyes than the person who has no impulse doing far greater things.
It helped me a lot to open my eyes fully to the way Satan operates too, that he get control over us through a series of Yeses, one little step at a time. We must recognize his clever schemes to lure us away from the joy of our salvation, and to cut him off at the first sign of imposition, to say "no Satan, I will not give you power over me, Jesus Christ fill me with your spirit, and turn my mind to your love."
I felt the exact same way as you one day after arriving home from church one Sunday. I walked in the door, and wrote this straight out. I could not write something like this again if I tried.
My savior is with me thou I struggle
In my heart with him I abide
Though in sin I've toiled through my trouble
He never has left from my side
And I know before my final hour
That within him secure I will be
That my faith like a blossoming flower
Will bloom forth for my God to see.
Yet in this life filled with much bleakness
I pray to my God above
Lord judge me not for my weakness
But Father for only my love
For on that day when you open the book
Despite all of the errors I've made
I know on one of the pages you'll look
To see I was worthy of the price that you paid
Well...we know that you are a poet...this was wonderfully stated. The fantastic thing about repentance is that the definition is to make an about face...to turn around and go in the other direction. When we do this we leave our sin behind us...we are unable to see it because satan no longer has power over us to remind us or taunt us. That is the gift of God when we truly repent...our sins are gone...gone...gone...as far as the east is from the west..."He whom the Son sets free is free indeed". Our sin no longer has power over us unless we choose to continue in our sin...which puts it in our path to become part of our life once again.
True confession leads to true repentance which leads to true forgiveness which is truly a precious gift from our Lord Jesus Christ...what a miracle...
"gone...gone...gone...as far as the east is from the west."
Perhaps you have listened to Spurgeon's sermon Plenary Absolution which is on Psalms 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/spurgeon-sermons/listen/plenary-absolution-226316.html?ref=sc
I do love Spurgeon and will listen/read his sermon...but actually I was singing the children's chorus from 60+ years ago that I learned...
https://youtu.be/DwUj_MHol7c?si=wboV-OyHcAuWS3Z9
This was written in 1951 and it amazes me how things we have learned so long ago can remain in our hearts and minds...this is why I am such a big fan of scripture put to music...what a terrific way to learn scripture...thanks for all your positive comments on GAW.. glad to see you back and commenting...
This guy to me is the quintessential Spurgeon preacher, or how I imagine Spurgeon might have sounded, and the sermon the greatest sermon on the power of prayer. Have a listen. https://drive.proton.me/urls/ANHAHHQN88#6CBeEzikGkQs
The entire sermon is great, but this part particularly was very meaningful to me.
I see clearly enough why the branch gets all it wants while it abides in the stem, since all it wants is already in the stem, and is placed there for the sake of the branch. What does the branch want more than the stem can give it? If it did want more it could not get it; for it has no other means of living but by sucking its life out of the stem. O my precious Lord, if I want anything which is not in thee, I desire always to be without it. I desire to be denied a wish which wanders outside of thyself. But if the supply of my desire is already in thee for me, why should I go elsewhere? Thou art my all; where else should I look? Beloved, “it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell,” and the good pleasure of the Father is our good pleasure also: we are glad to draw everything from Jesus. We feel sure that, ask what we will, we shall have it, since he has it ready for us.
The next reason for this is, the richness of the Word of God. Catch this thought, “If my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” The best praying man is the man who is most believingly familiar with the promises of God. After all, prayer is nothing but taking God’s promises to him, and saying to him, “Do as thou hast said.” Prayer is the promise utilized. A prayer which is not based on a promise has no true foundation. If I go to the bank without a check, I need not expect to get money; it is the “order to pay” which is my power inside the bank, and my warrant for expecting to receive. You that have Christ’s words abiding in you are equipped with those things which the Lord regards with attention. If the Word of God abideth in you, you are the man that can pray, because you meet the great God with his own words, and thus overcome omnipotence with omnipotence. You put your finger down upon the very lines, and say, “Do as thou hast said.” This is the best praying in all the world.
Love it. Surprised that I never heard it before. We were in church every Sunday. My mom and dad, while they did not wear the faith on their sleeve were faithful Christians.
I grew up around stories of how God blessed our family that were miracle like, and have experienced miracles worked on my own life, yes miracles is the only way to explain some of the things I have witnessed, and just because the world downplays miracles simply as longshot events that happen despite extreme odds, why should I deny what I know to be true.
I don't know if I have recounted any of this to you or not, so please excuse me if I have.
I actually forgot about something that happened to me back around 1976, and did not remember until I started reading Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander.
I was in a head-on collision that left me in a coma for a while. When I awoke from my coma, I was 1000% certain that I had been in the presents of Jesus, and familiar angles, maybe my grandmother who herself was known for her almost legendary faith. The clarity of my mind on this was beyond question. It's been many years now so I can't exactly recall events, but I still I have an evanescent knowledge of the profound feeling of love and forgiveness I felt in his presents.
Because of this event I also saw my mom's unshakable faith at work.
She told me that when she first heard that I was in a terrible car accident, and her and my dad were advised to rush to the hospital with the understanding that I may not live long, that she almost fell apart. But when she arrived at the hospital, people were commenting "how can you be so composed and at piece, at this trying time?"
She told me that when she realized that she could not take the stress of me dying, she turned it over to God, said lord I can't handle this, so I put it in your hands, your will be done. And she told me that a piece beyond understanding fell upon her, and she knew without the slightest doubt that i would be okay. I have always wondered if it was my mothers trusting faith that lead to my being presents with Jesus and angles.
Have you ever seen the movie Nefarious? (This is not a mythical Hollywood flick) The top exorcist in the Catholic church called it the most accurate film depiction the true way Satan operates. There are no scenes throwing up pea soup, or climbing wall or spinning round of heads and all the normal nonsense.
You ever see this?
https://youtu.be/cKYQW5KB40U
Thank you, Kind Friend. Will certainly be heeding a lot of this advice.
God bless you