By: 1cor611

1cor611 — Mon, 31 May 2010 22:19:28 +0000

Juan: I can feel your pain – and believe me I know it well. The
struggle in carrying this burden and what’s more, carrying it
without the encouragement of those who can relate to you is
stifling at the least. It seems that often times church is more
discouraging then it is encouraging. A relationship with a pastor
can be both an encouraging and discouraging journey. I’ve been
there, where it feels like the people who claim to love you are
downsizing your problems, substituting ssa with their own sin and
often times giving you five minute instructional on how to overcome
- I call it the “Fix it” pills. But sadly ‘Fix it’ pills hardly
ever work and usually do lead to a deep sense of confusion, anger
and a harsh reality to bitterness growing in your heart which only
leads to condemnation and self blame. You look around at a world so
full of people who are affected by what I call ‘universal sin’. Now
don’t get me wrong. Sin is sin, and ssa will land u hell just like
lying would – that’s why Jesus’ blood is the ONLY WAY THE TRUTH AND
THE LIFE. Our lives are hidden in Him with the Father and that’s
our only claim to forgiveness. What I mean by ‘universal sin’ is
that in which the majority can relate to. For instance: telling a
lie. Everyone can relate. It’s like a band called ‘Three Days
Grace’ they write songs that are instant hits only because their
music can be related to by every listener- disappointment, anger,
sadness. In a lot of ways, it can seem like walking into church is
liking walking into a room where everyone has some kind of common
bond in that they’ve all experienced say a sexual sin or temptation
- but in a moment your left to your own if you give a call for all
those who have struggled with ssa. It’s frustrating, lonely, and
condemning. It might leave you asking, as it has often left me, why
even try? Well Juan, I say all of that to offer this question. What
if all these discouraging realities that I have experienced are
nothing more then lies? Honestly. Take the time to separate
yourself from your noisy surroundings and think about it. Is it
possible that God could be that forgetful(read psalm forty)? Is it
possible that He can be okay with other Christians(who can’t relate
to you) being a (maybe not the, but a) huge source of
discouragement? Is it really His plan that you should be weighted
by the heavy burden of feeling so exposed by the draw toward your
own sex? To feel like you have no safe zone? No place you can
escape the mirage of problems in which ssa is a result and – as you
said – just a piece (even granted a major component)? Because Juan,
if it is His will – if it is His plan – if it His pleasures to see
me or you go through that – then why did He ever bother saving us?
See, you have to ask yourself these questions, because these
questions will define your true belief in Christ. If all these
things are true, then the only question you have left is – is the
Bible wrong? See, people – pastors, parents, mentors, and friends -
their all just bumbling sinners saved by Grace and trying to make
it just as you are. If you let yourself get pulled down by their
shortcomings then granted, you may never see the finish line in
this awful, awful race that we call life. I just challenge you to
think about this. To ask yourself, is Christ dead? Or is He alive?
Is what the Bible says true? Or is it false? And remember, Christ
is the only person who can relate to us – look at Hebrews 4:15-16.
And if it seems unfair that others can relate to each other
(heterosexuals that is) so much more then they can relate to us who
struggle with ssa – then just ask God to take that cross because
it’s to heavy to bear. It sucks being the only person who deals
with this sin in your church. But is that enough to keep you from
fighting for the Kingdom? Is that honestly enough to forfeit the
wonderful promise of following Christ? Personally, the one point I
didn’t like about this article was how it stressed – even without
saying it so much – the point that to heal you need to look for
opportunities to serve. No. That’s no true. Open yourself up to God
and merely be available. If He wants you to minister, minister and
you will experience healing – but don’t look for it. No one is
strong enough to look for ministering opportunities remember that
“..we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10. God already has the special ministry ready for you
- don’t keep your vision on ministry, keep it on God, and then God
will drop that ministry into your lap. All you have to do is keep
your eye on God and keep your lap open to whatever God drops from
the sky. Remember this salvation was given because in God’s eye’s
we are totally worth it. “not of works lest anyone should boast.”
Ephesians 2:9 I hope this doesn’t sound like a ‘fix it’ pill ‘cause
I don’t mean it to be. God bless,

By: juan

juan — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:42:16 +0000

2nd to last sentence ^^^^ …so much more than* sexuality….

By: juan

juan — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:10:50 +0000

i read this article hoping that it would give me a sense of
peace.life is already hard enough without this problem. my question
is always about tomorrow and the hopes of a happier future but i
feel like the answer given seems to be so vague and incomplete. and
all of a sudden words like healing, peace, and prosperity seem too
bland for comfort. thats probably because the problem isnt easy.SSA
is complicated. But my vision of recovery is so different from
everyone else’s. My pastor and my mother want me to have a
relationship with christ and abstain from homosexuality. Which i am
finding out may not take away ssa but make it easier to live with.
I dont want to live with it. I cant. I just dont see how they could
want me to?? perhaps they think i’ll live a life of chastity or
maybe even be a preist.They minimize the burden of ssa and resort
to the internet as their source of empathy while other
heterosexuals relate to my problem with their experience with
pornography or adultery. But if only they knew that ssa was so much
more the sexuality.its only a peice to the puzzle.

Comments on: Redemptive Vision: “What am I recovering TO?”

By: 1cor611

By: juan

By: juan