You are going to feel awful about your sin, for the rest of your life - why not let the Holy Spirit make you feel good about the afterlife?

[Gottservant]

Hi there,

So I have sort of turned inside out, pursuing faith. I was vexed for a long time, about my sin and how to overcome it. At times I would feel fine, then at others I would be vexed; then I would feel like "I have to do something about this 'feeling'!". Eventually, thinking about the Law - don't mistake the importance of the Law - I realised in the Holy Spirit, that I was always going to feel awful, about my sin. I realised that I was going to feel awful about my sin, to the day that I die. This caused a crisis in me, but I accepted it - don't mistake the importance of commitment - and the Holy Spirit started to show me a way out, that was not of this life.

The Holy Spirit showed me, that He was able to make me feel good, about the life to come (the afterlife). I realised that if I trusted the Holy Spirit, not for how I do feel, but how I was going to feel, then it didn't really matter how awful I felt about my sin in this life, better was always coming! This became a habit in me, that gave me confidence and quiet strength (Isaiah 30:15). I realised that no matter how I doubted my salvation, something greater was always coming down the pipeline, that would cheer me up. Then I started to think "what is it that would make me feel complete, about this change (where would it end)?".

The Holy Spirit again, started working with me, and made or helped make me think about the things in this world. He picked something out at random and said "this thing I have pointed out, is of the world, I can make you lose interest in it, because it is of the world" and I lost interest in it. I lost interest in this thing of the world, but only for a moment, because I was still getting my feet (my spiritual feet). Then the Holy Spirit said, "pick something else, I will make you lose interest in it as well (speaking of the world)" and I did, and I lost interest. The Holy Spirit confirmed it at this point saying "I can make you lose interest in anything in this world" and I came to understand that it would be this way until I died, if I trusted the Holy Spirit. Now the Devil was not happy that I was losing interest in the world, but by the power of the Blood of the Lamb and His Testimony, he (the Devil) had no power to resist.

So it was, that I came to conviction in the words "put off the old man and put on the new" "being caught up in glory" (from memory, the letters). I no longer had doubt, that my salvation was enough or that I was 'doing it wrong', I had a clear sense in which the Holy Spirit wanted to improve my life and that I could trust Him to keep me on the straight and narrow path (to God). God was waiting for me to "get" this, so that He could move on from wrestling over the Law concerning my chastisement and move into growing in faith of work, for the need that was throughout the Earth to know Him. Powers and principalities were to come, but first I had to be in the right mindset to be unwavering. When we are unwavering, we can do powerful things! Do I still feel awful about my sin? "Yes", but look how much God can do despite that!

God bless.

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Hah! Every time I’ve ever had the thought that I must be doing something wrong, I was wrong. Every step of the way these 16 years I came to think I must be doing something wrong and that I needed to do something in my own strength to change things.

Trust, hope, love are the three greatest, in a progression upward.
We also have three enemies - world, flesh, devil. They try to attack the three greatest.

All we see in the temporal world with our eyes tries to stop our trust in God and what He has said.
Our flesh wants to lean on our own strength to rely on and hope in rather than in God.
The devil does not want us to reach the place where we walk in the Spirit and Gods love pours out of us.

 

[clhjr]

Well, this is my first post in this forum. This is not the thread or the reason that brought me to this forum, but I wanted to give a positive amen to what I read in the two posts above.
I ended up here at this forum as I was seeking additional data in the never ending discussion on text families and variants. I did find a pretty good summary here as well. After registering, this site automatically sent me to the front page with the most recent posts (I think that is where I landed.)

Reading the first post in this thread made me smile and touch a shared joyous note. The writer was using language to express a journey in a way completely different from the way I would, but i was aware of a shared common journey that we have been called to walk within.
It is inescapable. There is a profoundly deep sovereignly designed reason why God does not save us and then just remove us from the trials, the afflictions, the spiritual battles. In john 17:15 Jesus, in what is often called his "high priestly prayer" makes it clear it is the will of God to leave us in the world, for a while, even though we do not belong to this world. He also makes it clear that those that belong to him will be preserved. In verse 17, Yeshua prays that his children will be sanctified by truth. In verse 19, our Lord declares that he has devoted himself fully (consecrated) to the task of making sure they are kept and sanctified.
Much more could be said, but here is my point. We are intentionally left in a daily battle and we are not to be surprised at this reality "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." And,
"But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed." I Peter 4:12,13
When we realize our battles with the flesh, the world, and all those situations orchestrated by Satan are a part of our suffering in Christ. It is a discovered "joy" to realize that our new birth is not man made thing (John 1:12,13), but a declaration of God on our behalf so there is never any boasting (Eph.2:8,9) in response to the work of grace and faith.
So, yes, we are in this fight to the end..to the glory of God...by design...and we are not alone. Praise God. We are kept and guarded(John 17:12). That is why we can find peace even as the battle rages.
When we trust his word, we touch a peace that passes all understanding. The battle rages on, yet we have a peace because we are born again into a "living/lively hope" as Peter called it.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1Pe 1:4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,

1Pe 1:5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

1Pe 1:6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
If you have trust Christ, you have a living hope that is imperishable and indestructible. The completion of what God is doing is yet future. Today's battles will cease one day as they are swept away in the completion of what He is doing.

And, that is the future hope that both of you referred to as grounds for rejoicing.

 

[Michiah-Imla]

Do I still feel awful about my sin? "Yes", but look how much God can do despite that!

Something’s amiss here.

In light of what the scripture says:

“…because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.” (Hebrews 10:2)

Why would you continue to have conscience of sin after conversion?

 

[stunnedbygrace]

Something’s amiss here.

In light of what the scripture says:

“…because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.” (Hebrews 10:2)

Why would you continue to have conscience of sin after conversion?

In Romans - You are now ashamed of those things. What good did they do you? For the end of those things is death.

I’ve come to God. I still feel ashamed at times when I recall, for a couple of really horrible things I did in my past.

And if it guilt feelings you’re talking about…I guess to me the opposite of that is relief at confessing and being forgiven.
But that doesn’t mean if I do something wrong today that my conscience no longer works to make me feel guilty/wrong.

 

[marks]

The Holy Spirit showed me, that He was able to make me feel good, about the life to come (the afterlife). I realised that if I trusted the Holy Spirit, not for how I do feel, but how I was going to feel, then it didn't really matter how awful I felt about my sin in this life, better was always coming!

I love your post, it really resonates with me!

And with Scripture, which speaks the same way here,

1 John 3:1-3 KJV
1) Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2) Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3) And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

Knowing we will be like Him, that particular hope - expectation because we believe - leads us to live more pure lives.

When your life mirrors Scripture, you know you are on the right path!

Much love!

 

[marks]

We are intentionally left in a daily battle and we are not to be surprised at this reality "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." And,

Welcome to our little corner of the internet!

It's only in the trials that we can truly learn the reality of what God for us, and does for us, that by faith we overcome anything. But if you don't have to endure just anything, how do you really learn that?

Exposing us to difficulty grounds us in our new reality of overcoming by faith.

Much love!

 

[Gottservant]

Something’s amiss here.

In light of what the scripture says:

“…because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.” (Hebrews 10:2)

Why would you continue to have conscience of sin after conversion?

You have interpreted Hebrews 10:2 as meaning we are purged in this life - not at the end of it.

What is amiss is that I am speaking of my faith, through the eyes of the Law - why would I seek to do that? Only because I seek to be reminded what my faith truly is.

I am saying I continue to have faith, despite the Law - but that the Law leaves me nothing, with which to boast before God: a travesty that trusting in the Holy Spirit resolves.

It is right to be disaffected by the things of this world, that ultimately was my conclusion.

 

[clhjr]

Hi there,

So I have sort of turned inside out, pursuing faith. I was vexed for a long time, about my sin and how to overcome it. At times I would feel fine, then at others I would be vexed; then I would feel like "I have to do something about this 'feeling'!". Eventually, thinking about the Law - don't mistake the importance of the Law - I realised in the Holy Spirit, that I was always going to feel awful, about my sin. I realised that I was going to feel awful about my sin, to the day that I die. This caused a crisis in me, but I accepted it - don't mistake the importance of commitment - and the Holy Spirit started to show me a way out, that was not of this life.

The Holy Spirit showed me, that He was able to make me feel good, about the life to come (the afterlife). I realised that if I trusted the Holy Spirit, not for how I do feel, but how I was going to feel, then it didn't really matter how awful I felt about my sin in this life, better was always coming! This became a habit in me, that gave me confidence and quiet strength (Isaiah 30:15). I realised that no matter how I doubted my salvation, something greater was always coming down the pipeline, that would cheer me up. Then I started to think "what is it that would make me feel complete, about this change (where would it end)?".

The Holy Spirit again, started working with me, and made or helped make me think about the things in this world. He picked something out at random and said "this thing I have pointed out, is of the world, I can make you lose interest in it, because it is of the world" and I lost interest in it. I lost interest in this thing of the world, but only for a moment, because I was still getting my feet (my spiritual feet). Then the Holy Spirit said, "pick something else, I will make you lose interest in it as well (speaking of the world)" and I did, and I lost interest. The Holy Spirit confirmed it at this point saying "I can make you lose interest in anything in this world" and I came to understand that it would be this way until I died, if I trusted the Holy Spirit. Now the Devil was not happy that I was losing interest in the world, but by the power of the Blood of the Lamb and His Testimony, he (the Devil) had no power to resist.

So it was, that I came to conviction in the words "put off the old man and put on the new" "being caught up in glory" (from memory, the letters). I no longer had doubt, that my salvation was enough or that I was 'doing it wrong', I had a clear sense in which the Holy Spirit wanted to improve my life and that I could trust Him to keep me on the straight and narrow path (to God). God was waiting for me to "get" this, so that He could move on from wrestling over the Law concerning my chastisement and move into growing in faith of work, for the need that was throughout the Earth to know Him. Powers and principalities were to come, but first I had to be in the right mindset to be unwavering. When we are unwavering, we can do powerful things! Do I still feel awful about my sin? "Yes", but look how much God can do despite that!

God bless.

I posted a thought a few days ago that was sort of inspired by your thoughts expressed here. Just popped back in remembering that i had joined this forum. That is unusual because I have stayed away from forums for years because many years ago (like 25), most were filled with lots of impolite yelling. I think the anonymity allowed even believers to engage in a manner that obviously violated the very essence of biblical teachings on love , the fruit of the spirit, and christian character. Yes, there is much to debate, but the tone back then was really toxic much of the time. Well, I am back checking this thread. I have no idea how debates in other threads are being conducted.
However, I just reread Gottservant's OP. And, I think I understood what was being said even better (which is typical when we reread for understanding). I do not think what I wrote in reply was so much any kind of comment on Gottservant's very honest and open sharing of how our journey can be "felt"/experienced. What I wrote was simply a topical grasp of scripture that has helped keep me stay grounded as I walk that same "felt" journey in this fleshly tent.
Thanks Gottservant for sharing that. I think also when I read it the first time, I focused more on the sense of "feeling awful" than i did the biblical steps you took to gain a stronger grasp of God's provision for the journey. It is so instructive that even the great apostle Paul under inspiration shared "I do not write as though I have already attained" (Phil3:12); "chief/worst of sinners"(ITim1:15"; and he struggles on so that he might not be disqualified (ICor.9:27). These are amazing inspired scriptural insights into the life of one called by God. He was aware of his past misdeeds and ignorance, but part of his therapy was to focus (as already stated here) on the goal/prize and push on.
Thanks for sharing your inspirational thoughts. God bless. Let us soldier on in the victory already purchased.

 

[MatthewG]

bump