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Bill521 -> RE: Your Post... (10/23/2008 11:08:20 PM)

Hey guys,
I have read two books that I believe will help everyone regardless of the struggles you have with sin. Allow me to introduce them to you.
The first one is "The Bondage Breaker" by Neil T. Anderson. "A calm, practical, workable plan from Scripture that results in freedom and victory for the child of God. Neil Anderson is one of the most experienced and dependable authorities in America today." Chuck Swindoll.
The second book is "Victory Over The Darkness", also by Neil T. Anderson. This was the book that really helped me. I did read the first one also. But this one helped more.
"It's Jesus" promise to you--the promise that you live triumphantly. But what keeps you from really walking in the joy of the Lord? The powers of darkness attack us daily. But, as Dr. Neil shows in Victory over the Darkness, you can have the power to conquer them by knowing who you are in Christ." In Victory over the Darkness you'll learn how to:
Realize the power of your identity in Christ.
Free yourself from the burdens of your past.
Stand against the spiritual forces of this world.
Win the battle for your mind.
Become the spiritual person you want to be.

Guys I hope you will get these books and do yourself a favor and take them to heart and get free for the bondage of homosexuality.



Bill521 -> RE: Your Post... (10/31/2008 11:32:21 PM)

Here is a scripture I keep dear to my heart. With it I can go through anything this world has to through at me. James 1:12-18: "Happy is the person who remains faithful under trials, because when he succeeds in passing such a test, he will receive as his reward the life which God has promised to those who love him. If a person is tempted by such trials, he must not say, "This temptation comes from God." For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. But a person is tempted when he is drawn away and trapped by his own evil desire. Then his evil desire conceives and gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Do not be deceived, my dear brothers! Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning. By his own will he brought us into being through the word of truth, so that we should have first place among all his creatures."
I pray for everyone who reads this message that you will take this to your heart and believe what this scripture is saying to us. Trust in the Lord and allow him to help you. He has helped my as I have told you in many of my postings. Please let Him help!



Bill521 -> RE: Your Post... (11/2/2008 11:24:56 PM)

Greetings,
I remember the long days before the Lord changed my heart away from homosexuality. There were many days of darkness and loneliness that gripped my heart. Even though I am married there were years that I still didn't feel accepted and loved. I sometimes felt turned away by God as well. When it came to scripture to help me through those days and helped me get out of the pit, this is one that helped.

Psalm 23,
The Lord is my Shepherd;
I have everything I need.
He lets me rest in fields of green grass
and leads me to quiet pools of
fresh water.
He gives me new strength.
He guides me in the right paths,
as he has promised.
Even if I go through the deepest darkness,
I will not be afraid, Lord,
for you are with me.
Your shepherd's rod and
staff protect me.

You prepare a banquet for me,
where all my enemies can see me;
you welcome me as an honored guest
and fill my cup to the brim.
I know that your goodness and
love will be with me all my life;
and your house will be my
home as long as I live.

I really love the way this is expressed. Whoever translated this Psalm in this manner really got
the true meaning of it. Let the Lord be the light in your dark days and let His light so shine through you that all will see it.
God bless you guys.



Bill521 -> RE: Your Post... (11/8/2008 7:53:01 AM)

There were times in my struggle that I was very impatient with God waiting for Him to cure me so to speak. I would get angry because He hadn't done anything to me. I later realized that it was my responsibility to do some changing on my own. It is up to us to help the Lord with those changes. We must put forth some effort on our own, with the help of the Holy Spirit of course. Here is another scripture to help you as it did me.

Psalm 37:3-9

Trust in the Lord and do good;
live in the land and be safe.
Seek your happiness in the Lord,
and he will give you your
heart's desire.

Give yourself to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will help
you;
he will make your righteousness
shine like the noonday sun.

Be patient and wait for the Lord
to act;
don't get worried about those
who prosper
or those who succeed in their'
evil plans.

Don't give in to worry or anger;
it only leads to trouble.
Those who trust in the Lord
will possess the land,
but the wicked will be driven out.
James 5:7-11

Be patient, then, my brothers, until the Lord comes. See how patient a farmer is as he waits for his land to produce precious crops. He waits patiently for the autumn and spring rains. You also must be patient. Keep your hopes high, for the day of the Lord's coming is near.
Do not complain against one another, my brothers, so that God will not judge you. The Judge is near, ready to appear. My brothers, remember the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Take them as examples of patient endurance under suffering. We call them happy because they endured. You have heard of Job's patient, and you know how the Lord provided for him in the end. For the Lord is full of mercy and compassion.



Bill521 -> RE: Your Post... (11/11/2008 12:14:01 AM)

God is forever with us no matter what we are doing or where we are going. His eyes are always upon us. Here is a scripture to help you know that God is guiding us all day long.

Psalm 139:1-12

Lord, you have examined
me and you know me.
You know everything I do;
from far away you understand
all my thoughts.
You see me, whether I am
working or resting;
you know all my actions.
Even before I speak,
you already know what I will say.
You are all around me on every side;
you protect me with your power.
Your knowledge of me is too deep;
it is beyond my understanding.

Where could I go to escape from you?
Where could I get away from
your presence?
If I went up to heaven, you
would be there;
if I lay down in the world of
the dead, you would be there.
If I flew away beyond the east
or lived in the farthest place in
the west,
you would be there to lead me,
you would be there to help me.
I could ask the darkness to hide me
or the light around me to turn
into night,
but even darkness is not dark for you,
and the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are the
same to you.

Do you see that you are never alone. I felt alone so many times it hurt. To believe that there was no one to talk to no one to confess to and no one to be with me during my most depressed times. The Lord is with you and don't forget that. He hasn't.



Bill521 -> RE: Your Post... (11/16/2008 4:09:17 PM)

Hey guys, here is a scripture that I exercise every day of my Christian life. I learned this many years ago. I realized that in order to win this battle against homosexuality, I needed help. Well here it is.

Ephesians 6:12-18.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the word of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

You see, we don't have person problems, we have spiritual problems. We are battling against the daemons of Hell. Literally we are in a war with the spiritual world. This may seem a little difficult for some to believe, but we don't have problems with people. It is Satan who tempts us, not God or really not people, it is the daemon that followers those people around.

Don't shut me out until you pray about this and read the scripture above. I believe you will find that it is true. If you want more scripture to help you comprehend this, by all means ask. Until then, I will be waiting for you response.



Bill521 -> RE: Your Post... (11/26/2008 10:07:57 AM)

I remember many times feeling lost when I was practicing homosexuality. What I mean is my spiritual salvation was in the balance. I know that when a person is saved by the grace of God, that you can never lose that salvation, however, when you are living in sin, your feelings of grace seen far away and you begin doubting your salvation. The following is a scripture that helps in those times of doubt.



Bill521 -> RE: Your Post... (11/26/2008 10:24:09 AM)

Ephesians 1:3-8a.
Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him.
Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his sons--this was his pleasure and purpose. Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son! For by the sacrificial death of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, which he gave to us in such large measure!

Ephesians 2:8-10 also tells us of His salvation.

For my brace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

You see, even though I felt lost and alone, God never left me because I am saved and it is by His grace alone that we are saved. We can do nothing to save ourselves it must come by His grace and only by him. He died on the cross so that we could live. Accept Him and be his child. Accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour. You won't regret it.



Peter89 -> RE: Comming out of homosexuality (11/28/2008 12:48:30 AM)

So I currently am struggling with likeing guys. I can't stop thinking about them. I am involved with church I drum for youth group. I also struggle with masturbation like two times a day. I am 18 years old. I long to be straight and honor god. Here's my email please talk to me. Peterchapman89@hotmail.com



Peter89 -> RE: Comming out of homosexuality (11/28/2008 12:50:17 AM)

So I currently am struggling with likeing guys. I can't stop thinking about them. I am involved with church I drum for youth group. I also struggle with masturbation like two times a day. I am 18 years old. I long to be straight and honor god. Here's my email please talk to me. Peterchapman89@hotmail.com



Bill521 -> RE: Comming out of homosexuality (11/30/2008 3:17:20 PM)

Here is some more scripture for you to help you along your struggle, it refers to sin and what it can do to us if we don't trust in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

I want you to remember, my brothers, what happened to our ancestors who followed Moses. They were all under the protection of the cloud, and all passed safely through the Red Sea. In the cloud and in the sea they were all baptized as followers of Moses. All ate the same spiritual bread and drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from the spiritual rock that went with them; and that rock was Christ himself. But even then God was not pleased with most of them, and so their dead bodies were scattered over the desert.
Now, all of this is an example for us, to warn us not to desire evil things, as they did, nor to worship idols, as some of them did. As the scripture says, "The people sat down to a feast which turned into an orgy of drinking and sex." We must not be guilty of sexual immorality, as some of them were--and in one day twenty-three thousand of them fell dead. We must not put the Lord to the test, as some of them did--and they were killed by snakes. We must not complain, as some of them did--and they were destroyed by the Angel of Death.
All these things happened to them as examples for others, and they were written down as a warning for us. For we live at a time when the end is about to come.
Whoever thinks he is standing firm had better be careful that he does not fall. Every test that you have experienced is the kind that normally come to people. But God keeps his promise, and he will not allow you to be tested beyond your power to remain firm; at the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.

This is the truth men, God will always give you a way out of the temptation and all we must do is see it and take it. It is always there, He promised.



Hello-Goodbye159 -> RE: Comming out of homosexuality (12/13/2008 2:50:14 PM)

bondage?
I never saw it as a bad thing myself and am fine with who I am
I am happy with who I am, which is something I haven't been able to say in a long time.
I mean-some Christian sects don't condone it, some do-I personally feel if God gave us the ability to love we should use it.
Man or woman, gays and bisexuals and transgenders don't choose-would anyone choose a life of segregation and bigotry?
Doubt it, but we are who we are-I want to do good in the world and be a religious person-but I will never go from spiritual to religious if I have to hide and demonise who I am.



Bill521 -> RE: Comming out of homosexuality (12/15/2008 8:17:53 AM)

Greetings again,
It is not my intent to dispute what someone says here on this posting. It is only my desire to express my beliefs from what I learn from the Bible. Here is what I know.

1 Corinthians 6:9 says it for me.
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me but I will not be mastered by anything. Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

Do you see what is in red? This is what some of us were before our encounter with the Lord. these things pass away because they are not of God. Man is quick to find in the Bible what he wants to believe. I believe the scripture speaks for itself. This is not a mistake because the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. There are no mistakes. We must believe it for what it is.
We can rationalize all we want to, but the truth is in the pages of the Bible.



Bill521 -> RE: Comming out of homosexuality (12/16/2008 10:44:10 PM)

Greetings,
I have neglected in the past to let you know more about me as a spiritual man. What I mean is my testimony about becoming a Christian. The following scripture will tell you what I believe and why I believe it.

In the book of Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8-10, will tell you what I believe.

" v8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

I believe we are saved when we believe Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God. By His stripes we are healed. This passage tells me that we are saved by grace, pure and simple. We are not saved by works of any kind. That is plainly said in the scripture above. I believe that we work after salvation. These works are prepared by God even before we are saved. These works come from the heart as gratitude for the Salvation from God. I believed that my life began to change after I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. Some things changed gradual and some thing have taken some time. Eventually I will be the spitting image of Jesus Christ, at least in the process. I will be like Christ in Spirit and my outward actions should show that of the fruit of the Spirit. I hope this is making sense to you. If you have any questions please e-mail me. The homosexual part of me began to change in my life when I allowed the Lord to change me. He had to change my attitude first. Then He changed my actions to do what He wanted me to do. He is my Lord, and I must follow Him.



Bill521 -> RE: Comming out of homosexuality (12/26/2008 11:51:48 PM)

Allow me to add more to my testimony, it is very important to me that you know just what the Lord has done for me.

Romans 6:20-23,

"When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of ? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

What is written above is so special to me. Did you catch in the last part that the wages of sin is death, well it is talking about spiritual death. Remember the garden of Eden, what happened there to Adam and Eve? We have been set free from the life of sin when we accept the Lord as personal Lord and Savior. This should make you shout with joy!! Our sins are paid for by what the Lord did on the Cross. All of this helped me come out of homosexuality when I realized that I am truly free from the burden of sin I carried so many years. When you are free you are free indeed. Praise the Lord!!!

Bill



Bill521 -> RE: Comming out of homosexuality (12/30/2008 11:25:44 PM)

Hey guys,

I read a devotional by Charles Stanley every day. This one was especially meaningful to me. I want to share it with you.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18,

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Brokenness is a tool the Lord uses to mold us into His likeness. As believers, we should desire this outcome, and yet the process is a painful one. That's why our heavenly Father gives encouragement in a number of ways.

First, the Lord breaks us in love. Believers are His children; as parents lovingly redirect their sons and daughters, God does so with us. He never allows suffering out of anger.

Second, He sets a limit on our suffering, controlling the pressure to be sure it's never more than we can bear (2 Cor. 4:8). Our father knows exactly what is needed to break our stubbornness, rebellion, and selfishness, but He will never break our spirit.

Third, God brings clarity through difficult times. As we learn that His ways are higher than ours, we gain greater understanding of His amazing attributes. At the same time, our self-awareness starts to sharpen, and old, unproductive thought patterns begin to fade.

Fourth, God promises that He will never desert us. Brokenness can feel lonely and empty, as we are losing the things that once captured our loyalty. But our Father replaces those with Himself-and He is vastly more satisfying and dependable.

Fifth, the Lord is always patient. He knows our background and deeply rooted thought patterns. Yet He also sees the end result and knows that the journey is worth it.

The Lord knows us and our every thought, He knows our ways better than we do. I pray that the Lord will help you find yourself as He is helping me. Being broken is not fun, but is necessary if we are to become like Christ. The word Christian means "Christ like", so that should be our goal. The closer we come to becoming Christ like, the further we are from our sin. Homosexuality will be a thing of the past. Let Him guide you. You won't regret it.



Kings_Ransom -> RE: Comming out of homosexuality (12/31/2008 10:41:20 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Hello-Goodbye159

bondage?
I never saw it as a bad thing myself and am fine with who I am
I am happy with who I am, which is something I haven't been able to say in a long time.

I notice an abundance of the word "I" here. Apparently it's all about how YOU feel.

quote:

I mean-some Christian sects don't condone it, some do-I personally feel if God gave us the ability to love we should use it.

God DOESN'T condone it. Some Christian "sects" choose to ignore what His word has to say on the subject. God gave us the ability to love, but He also clearly defines what kind of relationship is acceptable to Him, and what kinds are not. Just because we are all born in sin, and some of us are particularly weak when it comes to certain kinds of sin, doesn't mean God intends for us to sin away with impunity.

I have a weakness to food. Gluttony is a sin. I try very hard to not give myself over to gluttony. To have gluttonous desires is not a sin. To give myself over to those desires IS. And you are sinning by giving yourself over to your sinful desires. God didn't put them there. WE did when we became a fallen people.

quote:

Man or woman, gays and bisexuals and transgenders don't choose-would anyone choose a life of segregation and bigotry?

Nobody is suggesting you would. I don't think you chose to feel the way you were feeling, but you did chose to give yourself over to it. You may feel that you are strong in your "acceptance of who you are", but the fact is that you are weak in your submission to it.

quote:

Doubt it, but we are who we are-I want to do good in the world and be a religious person-but I will never go from spiritual to religious if I have to hide and demonise who I am.

I will never tell you to hide who you are and I sincerely hope that all who would say that are silenced in short order. But just because I don't want you to keep it a secret doesn't mean I think God was lying or just kidding when He said that homosexuality is a sin.

Don't hide, because if you do that you'll never receive salvation from your sin. I wouldn't encourage an alcoholic to keep quiet about his sin and temptation, because I would want him to seek help. Same with you. You may have been born with the innate temptation to have sexual attraction to other men. That alone does not mean it's from God, or that it's right. You have decided to give yourself over to your sin because the small-minded media has brainwashed you and convinced you that God's Holy word does not matter. I will pray for you.



joejoe2505 -> RE: Comming out of homosexuality (12/31/2008 7:22:56 PM)

Like Peter posted, I too am struggling with this sin. I can't stop thinking about it either.

I've read through the thread and have been encouraged by the testimony and the Word of God.

I am happily married with beautiful children, but it seems that this sin will forever be with me. I'd love to have someone to talk to more indepth about this. If you wouldn't mind emailing me at: joejoe2505@gmail.com I'd appreciate it.

In Christ,
Joe



Bill521 -> RE: Comming out of homosexuality (1/5/2009 9:42:48 PM)

Joe,

I have a suggestion for you. Learn the Word of God and allow it to help you with your mind.

Philippians 4:8 says it very well.

Finally, brethren, whatever is true whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

The Lord has been dealing with me on memorizing scripture, I think this would be a good one to start with don't you?

Bill



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