|
Receive God's Forgiveness Shame and condemnation are typical feelings a sex addict may have. It can be very easy to start believing that God is angry with us and that we are beyond his forgiveness because of the evils we have done. Our common enemy, the devil, works hard to persuade us to believe such lies. The truth is that God foreknew all the sins we would commit. Out of his great mercy and love for us, he provided the way for us to be rescued and forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus paid the death penalty for ALL of our sins, great and small. How many times will God forgive me? Jesus reveals God's heart in his parable on forgiveness in Luke 7:36-50. The person who has committed many sins is freely forgiven just as the person who has committed few sins. God demonstrates his great love by forgiving all debts owed by his followers. "Have I committed the unforgivable
sin?" There is another situation referred to as "apostasy" that is sometimes misapplied to sin-addiction situations. Apostasy is a deliberate renunciation and rejection of one's faith in Christ. There are some sobering scriptures that describe the perils of apostasy (ex. Hebrews 10:26-29, Hebrews 6:4-6). One of the enemy's tricks is to use these scriptures to condemn backsliding Christians. Satan suggests that we're hell-bound if we fail to live perfectly after placing faith in Christ. Granted, we are called to live obediently to God, but that does not mean we lose God's grace. When we falter in sin, we still have forgiveness through our faith in Christ. The apostasy scriptures are talking about people who once knew Christ, but then rejected him. Since they rejected the only means of forgiveness of sin, they cannot be forgiven. Some people fear that they have become apostates because of their repeated falls back into sex addiction habits. Though they have been falling in sin, they still have the desire to stop acting out and get right with God. I believe that people in those situations are not apostates, because apostates have no remorse or desire to turn from their sins. Apostates' consciences have been seared by their sin, such that they have no desire to obey God. If you have been wrestling with the unforgivable sin idea, you can thank God that you still recognize your sin and desire to get right with God. He stands ready to help you deal with the root issues under your addiction, so that you can ultimately receive healing and restoration to wholeness. Know with certainty that you are forgiven: God has given us promises in his word that guarantee our forgiveness from sin. The below verses affirm the forgiveness of our sins through faith in Jesus Christ: " Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Acts 13:38-39 NKJV In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence Ephesians 1:7-8 NKJV He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14 NKJV And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. James 5:15 NKJV If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1 John 1:9 NKJV Receive & Believe: If you read those verses, please now receive them and believe what they say. The next time you're tempted to receive condemnation for past sin that you have already confessed to God, you can recite those verses and reject the condemnation. |
|
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 www.Porn-Free.Org. All Rights Reserved. If you find a typo, grammatical error or broken hyperlink on this page, please contact us mentioning the page title and location - Thank You! |