Abiding in His Word wrote:Hello Redeemed1953,In verse 6 : I highlighted walk...it is to continue in sin....to say you are in fellowship and continue in sin...where is the line....I hesitate to pick a sin, but I will pick one that is familiar...
That's just my point...we can't possibly know where the line is in the lives of individuals. Recovery groups; Accountability groups; Alcoholics Anonymous groups, Support groups etc. are filled with people who struggle with sin. Some have victory. Some have a relapse. Some fail entirely. All, though struggling, may continue in that particular sin forever.
You picked a sin that was familiar. Allow me to share an instance that will serve as an example that was a lifetime lesson for me.
We had a fellowship in our home and one neighbor, Al, and his wife were regular attenders. On a scale of 1-10, Al had a temper of 10. He was a hot-head. His anger flared easily and you could see his face change from a normal flesh-color to a shade of an apple in about 10 seconds flat. He asked for prayer often and the whole group was happy to do so. We prayed over Al every time he asked over a period of nearly 2-3 yrs. His wife testified that she saw a great change in Al and he displayed a much more easy-going behavior since that first night at the fellowship.
Eventually a new member joined our fellowship and was unaware of the progress made by Al, and told me (after a meeting) that it was obvious "that man" needed some help with his anger problem. She didn't know that Al had gone from a 10 down to a 4 over a period of 2 yrs. and was growing beautifully in the fruit of the spirit as he matured in Christ.
We just can't always judge what's going on in someone's life.
Consider how long Paul "walked" in his sin before Jesus intervened. Or how many wives and concubines David and Solomon had knowing that marriage was designed to be a one woman/one man relationship. Were they "walking" in sin all those years? How many with sexual or other addictions might be saved after years of purposely engaging in them?
You are free to arrive at your own conclusion, but I fail to see the wisdom of blanket judgments about sinners and their walks through life. We are called to be ambassadors and evangelists not judges imo.
I thank God for witness and testimony like this. I hear stories of those people who, for example, put down cigarettes, porn, alcohol or drugs all in one day and seemingly live their lives exclusively for the Lord from that day forward, but it has been my experience that these types of changes come as I am changed on the inside as a result of continued prayer and vigilance on my part (even if my vigilance is only my desire to do or be better than I once was with a certain issue or thing). I have been brow beat to death by Christians who don't consider the fruits in my life just because I still have this or that sin in my life, but I have fruits....and lots of it.
Last night, I was frustrated that sometimes I don't feel like the Lord is answering my prayers. I pointed to 3 things to my husband to defend my pity party (sorry, that's what is really is sometimes with me!). My husband walked me through the changes in all three circumstances and asked at the onset if, over the time I had been praying about these three things, had they not all improved. He was right and wise to approach me in that light about this. Indeed it is true that while all 3 of these areas of my life are not where I want them to be, each and all three are in fact much better than they were earlier this year when I really started praying about them. Also....if I have any honesty to myself, I have to admit that I have been anything but consistent in keeping these prayers going on a regular basis. I am so guilty of putting every other element of life ahead of my relationship with the Lord....but....AND THIS IS IMPORTANT.....BUT....the Lord has not turned His back on me, and in fact, is still answering prayers I make and causing fruit in my life...only at the pace I am moving in my prayers to Him, and not, say in the pace that some may have, where it's overnight and over the top.
For a long time I've let other people steal my joy in the Lord with their condemnation and judgment....in truth, their problem is that I don't do "it" as they think I should or as they would. That doesn't mean I don't have fruit, and in examining myself, I see fruit in many areas and I can be thankful and continue to grow in the Lord, even if they think I don't deserve it, didn't earn it.....you know what.....God's judgment is the only one that counts...and in it is much wisdom, and not so much of the condemnation that happens in short sighted people's thinking. God knows all whereas people only know what they see, and from their subjective perspectives.
It has taken me years to not allow these types of people to steal my glory and relationship with the Lord from me.....
they don't inspire me at all....they hurt me, and if anything, their thoughtless words and actions make me less inclined to seek the Lord with more fervor, because I have always felt not good enough and they feed that little nasty thing that goes around in my head.
God loves us all....even those like me who aren't seemingly perfect and full of righteous fervor, seemingly overnight. He saves some at sunrise and some at sunset and some all between....and on different timelines and at different paces.....as long as Christ is the way.....there are many ways that thru Christ, salvation and sanctification are achieved.
