Struggle with A sin

[Dani H]

Thanks, this is so true. I think I see a different perspective on that now. Not that I now think it's ok for me, just that maybe it's not worth the stress of worrying so much. Of course, with my OCD, now I'll have to give up fried chicken and Doritos!

Thanks. And god bless.

Mhhmmmm. And when your wife asks why you're giving up all these foods, you gonna say "This Dani H person on the Interwebs I never met said I can't have fried chicken or Doritos"?

[t1mlew1s]

Mhhmmmm. And when your wife asks why you're giving up all these foods, you gonna say "This Dani H person on the Interwebs I never met said I can't have fried chicken or Doritos"?

Well, my wife would thank you if I gave up bad eating habits, but I might have better success sticking with giving up smokes. I'm type 2 diabetic, so I really should be giving up those things anyway!

[Dani H]

Well, my wife would thank you if I gave up bad eating habits, but I might have better success sticking with giving up smokes. I'm type 2 diabetic, so I really should be giving up those things anyway!

If you have Netflix, watch Forks Over Knives and Sick, Fat and Nearly Dead, and/or go to Amazon and order and read Eat to Live (you can get it on Kindle or e-reader). Big eye openers! The dietary laws in the Old Testament weren't there for no reason.

[t1mlew1s]

If you have Netflix, watch Forks Over Knives and Sick, Fat and Nearly Dead, and/or go to Amazon and order and read Eat to Live (you can get it on Kindle or e-reader). Big eye openers! The dietary laws in the Old Testament weren't there for no reason.

I'll do that. Thanks.

[Slug1]

My first reaction is to RUN! I start by just whispering a little prayer that I might overcome it or that the temptation be removed. I once heard a prayer that went something like, If the desire to sin is present in me, please remove any opportunity. And if the opportunity arises to sin, please remove the desire. At some point, after some time, I sometimes get weak and fall to it.

I know there has been a lot of help throughout this thread (based on post count #'s) and seeing this post, I assume in relation to my question... I stopped reading the rest of the thread. So if what I'm about to raise in some questions has been discussed already, I'll find it.

Let me rephrase the question and focus on something instead with 2 more ?'s:

1) How do you understand your victory in Christ, OVER satan and all temptations he will ever toss at you?

2) What do you understand concerning "your authority" over satan due to Christ's victory?

[svfox]

fasting and praying helps.

google dr. oz show since he might have had advice on help to stop smoking.
God blessed us with people like him who share their knowledge.

[t1mlew1s]

I know there has been a lot of help throughout this thread (based on post count #'s) and seeing this post, I assume in relation to my question... I stopped reading the rest of the thread. So if what I'm about to raise in some questions has been discussed already, I'll find it.

Let me rephrase the question and focus on something instead with 2 more ?'s:

1) How do you understand your victory in Christ, OVER satan and all temptations he will ever toss at you?

2) What do you understand concerning "your authority" over satan due to Christ's victory?

1. I believe that I personally have no power over satan or temptations. I know that any power that I weild comes from Christ. I guess it's a faith issue. Maybe my faith is not strong enough regarding my ability to stop this particular sin. So any failure to that sin on my part is actually a failure on my part to fully trust in Him.

2. I have no authority. Again that comes from Christ. And again, any failure on my part to exercise Christ's authority over satan and temptation in a failure on my part to fully trust in Him.

Thanks for you questions, got me thinking this morning!

[Slug1]

1. I believe that I personally have no power over satan or temptations. I know that any power that I weild comes from Christ. I guess it's a faith issue. Maybe my faith is not strong enough regarding my ability to stop this particular sin. So any failure to that sin on my part is actually a failure on my part to fully trust in Him.

2. I have no authority. Again that comes from Christ. And again, any failure on my part to exercise Christ's authority over satan and temptation in a failure on my part to fully trust in Him.

Thanks for you questions, got me thinking this morning!

OK... before all this is addressed, one more question (I think )

Do you feel that you have to be cleaned up of lusts in your flesh FIRST, before you can fully walk in the Spirit and also fully exercise the authority you have through Christ?

[t1mlew1s]

OK... before all this is addressed, one more question (I think )

Do you feel that you have to be cleaned up of lusts in your flesh FIRST, before you can fully walk in the Spirit and also fully exercise the authority you have through Christ?

No. I came to Christ with my addictions and sins and I realize that no amount of "cleaning up" on my part will cause Him to accept me any more than openly. The problem I face is that I want to be rid of this thing that hinders me, but it's addictive. And I know (knowledge) that Christ can heal me of any and all addictions if I just surrender it to Him. And I want to. The problem I have is how to get there from here. The want to surrender is strong, but then the addiction takes over and pulls it back out of His hand.

[jayne]

This is a good thread with some sage wisdom that is truly applicable to all sorts of addictive behaviors. I’m glad you posted this and I’ll be praying for you.

I’m going to ramble here, but one thing to remember is that – generally speaking - addictive behaviors don’t become addictive unless they are filling voids in our lives that we may not even be consciously aware of – (if that makes any sense to anyone ). And these behaviors (I’ve been there and I’ve seen it in others) take captive every part of us – the spiritual, the mental, the emotional, and the physical.

It’s a good thing sometimes to sit down with ourselves and evaluate our own behavior – because frankly, we are the only ones who know exactly why we do things. We need to ask ourselves – what is this behavior – beit smoking, inappropriate sex, overeating, drunkenness, et.al. – doing for me that is tricking me into thinking that this is good thing? Because, honestly, some need in our life is being met by this behavior – falsely, of course and destructively, of course – but we wouldn’t engage in these things, KNOWING their destructiveness, if we didn’t blindly believe that we NEEDED it or if our spirit or mind or body wasn’t lied to into believing it was making us feel good or better – albeit temporarily.

The addict goes to GREAT length to justify, cover up/hide, defend, and even nurture his/her behavior. I think we have all been there before in some fashion or another. That’s why it’s important to expose the need in ourselves – even if only TO ourselves – as to what we think this behavior is doing for us. When things are exposed, then they can be dealt with.

And I think that’s why when the person who struggles makes a valiant attempt at abstinence from that behavior that it is HARD!!! We can prostrate ourselves before God, bare our souls at meetings, and SWEAR that we will never do it again – but then we do. And then we add guilt, despair, fear, condemnation, mental/spiritual/emotional fatigue, and self-loathing to the mix which only spurs us to crave the behavior again if only to alleve those feelings.

The root of the “need” – beit emotional stimulation, adrenaline/serotonin stimulation, temporary relief from stress factors, temporary calming, relief from pain (emotional/physical), or whatever - has to be dealt with even more so – in my nonprofessional and nonmedical opinion – than the dreaded behavior, itself. The key to understanding why we sometimes can't stop - is to understand the need.

If not, then we may certainly allow the Lord to rid ourselves of the addiction merely to replace it with one more socially acceptable but just as destructive.

As a Christian, I believe that God’s Word, prayer, support from fellow Christians, and competent professional attention can help us find the root of why we do what we do even when we hate when we do it.

I hope that made some sort of sense.

[t1mlew1s]

This is a good thread with some sage wisdom that is truly applicable to all sorts of addictive behaviors. I’m glad you posted this and I’ll be praying for you.

I’m going to ramble here, but one thing to remember is that – generally speaking - addictive behaviors don’t become addictive unless they are filling voids in our lives that we may not even be consciously aware of – (if that makes any sense to anyone ). And these behaviors (I’ve been there and I’ve seen it in others) take captive every part of us – the spiritual, the mental, the emotional, and the physical.

It’s a good thing sometimes to sit down with ourselves and evaluate our own behavior – because frankly, we are the only ones who know exactly why we do things. We need to ask ourselves – what is this behavior – beit smoking, inappropriate sex, overeating, drunkenness, et.al. – doing for me that is tricking me into thinking that this is good thing? Because, honestly, some need in our life is being met by this behavior – falsely, of course and destructively, of course – but we wouldn’t engage in these things, KNOWING their destructiveness, if we didn’t blindly believe that we NEEDED it or if our spirit or mind or body wasn’t lied to into believing it was making us feel good or better – albeit temporarily.

The addict goes to GREAT length to justify, cover up/hide, defend, and even nurture his/her behavior. I think we have all been there before in some fashion or another. That’s why it’s important to expose the need in ourselves – even if only TO ourselves – as to what we think this behavior is doing for us. When things are exposed, then they can be dealt with.

And I think that’s why when the person who struggles makes a valiant attempt at abstinence from that behavior that it is HARD!!! We can prostrate ourselves before God, bare our souls at meetings, and SWEAR that we will never do it again – but then we do. And then we add guilt, despair, fear, condemnation, mental/spiritual/emotional fatigue, and self-loathing to the mix which only spurs us to crave the behavior again if only to alleve those feelings.

The root of the “need” – beit emotional stimulation, adrenaline/serotonin stimulation, temporary relief from stress factors, temporary calming, relief from pain (emotional/physical), or whatever - has to be dealt with even more so – in my nonprofessional and nonmedical opinion – than the dreaded behavior, itself. The key to understanding why we sometimes can't stop - is to understand the need.

If not, then we may certainly allow the Lord to rid ourselves of the addiction merely to replace it with one more socially acceptable but just as destructive.

As a Christian, I believe that God’s Word, prayer, support from fellow Christians, and competent professional attention can help us find the root of why we do what we do even when we hate when we do it.

I hope that made some sort of sense.

Thanks for this reply. I'm sure you are correct that I have to find the "root" of the addiction. That is apparently hidden from me at the moment.

[Dani H]

Thanks for this reply. I'm sure you are correct that I have to find the "root" of the addiction. That is apparently hidden from me at the moment.

As is your degree of control and willful choice to keep it going ...

Sorry, I have the bad habit of playing kickball with people's excuses and crutches. My bad.

[Slug1]

As is your degree of control and willful choice to keep it going ...

Sorry, I have the bad habit of playing kickball with people's excuses and crutches. My bad.

Remember what I've always asked?

Q: What is the maximum effective range of an excuse?

A: Zero meters!

[t1mlew1s]

As is your degree of control and willful choice to keep it going ...

Sorry, I have the bad habit of playing kickball with people's excuses and crutches. My bad.

Ouch!! Is that what they mean by tough love?

[Slug1]

Ouch!! Is that what they mean by tough love?

You'll hear me call it... slap side the head

Usually the reaction to it get's people's eyes to open!!