Just some thoughts.Rockytopva… All of these years as a Christian and still going through the process of sanctification!
Still here as well; if we could just live perfectly in which there was no suffering, what a dream that would be; to be able to fully 100% be as Jesus was to no longer sin.
The truth is that Jesus lives within us, and whether or not if we choose to abide in him, even becoming rooted and grounded in the good soil. Can be difficult; which requires of course the self-denial Jesus had spoke about, in the quoted verse below.
“Take up your cross and follow me.”
Self-denial is difficult for us as human beings to do, and to submit to something else or rather someone else that being the Father.
It is a choose from our free will decision made within our soul, and none of us will be 100% perfect in the flesh; though you can become mature or perfect in your fellowship with the Father and the son; in which you move into understanding your own position in front of God because of the Son. And are given a new life to live.
The hope of course to have a life here on earth which a person builds up their faith, and to continue to ask the Father to help one by the spirit, even overcoming things in the flesh though sometimes when our flesh does fail; it’s not that God didn’t keep us from the temptation.
Our minds give into that temptation to do wrong to others even treat them unfairly, even marking them as lower as one self which puffs of the pride of one’s own heart. This is why Paul said it is for Christians to become dead to sin and alive unto God and the messiah.
To put off the old man and to put on Christ, and to get rid of slander, wrath, anger, and to allow the heavenly to come more into the heart dying to some of the meh actions one may take on others.
Humility and to be humble before God also knowing your place and life in which all us, have done wrong in life, and can not compared to the Lord except when you allow the spirit to come through by and through praying and talking to God to help you by the spirit, telling him all your anger, rage, greed, asking him to help you get over those things, and to live more by the spirit which causes peace, love, joy.
All of these things take time, to learn and to repetitively get the word in your mind, and heart you will start to have peace with God as long as you really know your standing before God in Christ and that all have access to the Father and to go to him in all your situations and circumstances, not that all prayers will be answered especially if one is asking for the worldly things to spend your pleasure on, James makes it clear no one should expect to receive anything from the Lord that are doubled minded, unstable, between the world and God.
Praise be to God though, whom loved all the people in the world, and sent his Son, whom willingly died on the behalf of all mankind that sin could be paid for, and for people who seek for truth to understand what needs to die in the flesh and what needs to be alive which is the spirit inside of the believer of faith to have help even self-control by the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ.