Expert: Brenda Martin - 2/4/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi Brenda, I know that I confess my sins every day of my life, I know I'm a sinner and I try as much as possible not to sin, I pray to God. At times I sin knowing that what I'm doing is not good in God's eyes but still sorry for what I do. As a Christian, is  there any other thing you can do for God to fully acknowledge you as his son?

ANSWER: Dear Etienne, you said--"I CONFESS MY SINS EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE"

Excellent!!!--“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous so as to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”—1 John 1:8, 9.

"I KNOW I'M A SINNER"

Well you’re in good company :¬) --“For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom [paid] by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3; 23)

"I TRY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE NOT TO SIN"

Great; however remember, no matter how hard we "try" we will always sin, as we are all imperfect & there is a big difference between committing a sin and wilfully practicing sin.

Committing a sin--Through inherited sin, we all transgress in word, deed, and thought or we fail to do what we should do. (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; James 3:2; 4:17) Therefore, whether we are conscious of having sinned during the day or not, we need to include in our daily prayers a request for forgiveness of our sins.—Psalm 19:12; 40:12.

Practicing sin--“Everyone who practices sin is also practicing lawlessness, and so sin is lawlessness…Everyone remaining in union with him does not practice sin; no one that practices sin has either seen him or come to know him. He who carries on sin originates with the Devil.”—1 John 3:4-8.

"I PRAY TO GOD".

Excellent!!-- Obviously, there is a reverential way to speak with him. As a communicative God having great love, he has provided ample information in his inspired Word for people of all national backgrounds on how they may come to know the right and respectful way to “draw close to God” in prayer.—Jas. 4:8 For instance it is very important to use God's name when we pray (ps 83;18)

"AT TIMES I SIN KNOWING THAT WHAT I'M DOING IS NOT GOOD IN GOD'S EYES BUT STILL SORRY FOR WHAT I DO".

If we expect God to forgive our debts, or sins, we must be repentant and willing to receive discipline. (Proverbs 28:13; Acts 3:19) Because God loves us, he gives us the discipline we need personally so that we can correct our weaknesses. (Proverbs 6:23; Hebrews 12:4-6)

We can be happy, of course, if growth in faith and knowledge finds our heart so fully in accord with God’s laws and principles that we never transgress with any measure of wilfulness. But what if we discern some wilfulness in our wrongdoing? Then we should be deeply pained and ought to pray earnestly for forgiveness. (Hebrews 10:26-31) Applying counsel we have received, we should correct our course quickly.

Regularly asking God to forgive our sins is beneficial. Doing this keeps our sinfulness before us and ought to have a humbling effect. (Psalm 51:3, 4, 7) We need to have our heavenly Father “forgive us our sins and . . . cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8, 9) Moreover, mentioning our sins in prayer helps us to keep putting up a hard fight against them. Thus we are also continually reminded of our need for the ransom and the merit of Jesus’ shed blood.—1 John 2:1, 2; Revelation 7:9, 14.

(Matthew 6:13) By the request, “Do not bring us into temptation,” we in effect ask God not to allow us to succumb when tempted or pressured to disobey him. We can entreat our Father to guide our steps so that no temptation will come our way that is too severe for us. In this regard, Paul wrote: “No temptation has taken you except what is common to men. But God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but along with the temptation he will also make the way out in order for you to be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

"AS A CHRISTIAN,ARE THERE ANY OTHER THINGS I CAN DO FOR GOD?"

That comes under the heading of “What God requires of us” Now since the word “Christian” means “follower of Christ”, lets see what God required of Jesus & it will give us an idea what he requires of us as Christians.

Jesus said: “My food is for me to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4; 34)

We as Christians have to follow Jesus example—“to this course you were called, because even Christ suffered for you, leaving you a model for you to follow his steps closely.” (1 Peter 2; 21)

Christ’s example is summed up in one word—love. If we truly follow Jesus’ model closely in all we think, say, and do, we will also practice love. As Peter stated: “Finally, all of you be like-minded, showing fellow feeling, having brotherly affection, tenderly compassionate, humble in mind, not paying back injury for injury or reviling for reviling, but, to the contrary, bestowing a blessing, because you were called to this course, so that you might inherit a blessing.”—1 Peter 3:8, 9.

Now let’s be more specific as to what Gods requires of all who want to worship him acceptably :¬)

1. Jesus taught that the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God, and instead of adhering to a creed based on human tradition, held to the Bible as the standard for all his beliefs. (2 Timothy 3; 16, 17) We then would have to do likewise.

2.  Jesus worshiped his Father as the only true God and freely spoke to others about him and his loving purposes toward mankind.

3. Jesus taught he is the Son of God, the first of God’s creations; not a Trinity, so we would have to agree with this teaching.

4. Jesus taught that God’s Kingdom is the only hope for mankind; that it is a real government; that it will soon destroy the present wicked system of things, including all human governments, and that it will produce a new system in which righteousness will prevail.

5. A Christian must copy Jesus in being “no part of the world”, as Jesus said would be true of his followers. They would show genuine Christian love for their neighbours, but they do not share in the politics or the wars of any nation. They provide for the material needs of their families but shun the world’s avid pursuit of material things and personal fame and its excessive indulgence in pleasure.

6. God requires that a Christian apply the counsel of God’s Word in everyday life—at home, in school, in business, in their congregation.

7. Jesus said: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” (John 13:35) Such love reaches across racial, social, and national boundaries, drawing people together in genuine brotherhood. So strong is this love that it sets them apart as being truly different. When the nations go to war, they have enough love for their Christian brothers in other lands that they refuse to take up arms and kill them, that is what early Christians did.

I think that’s enough  to be going on with just now, unless you want the full version :¬) Its commendable that you want to do “things for God” as its sadly lacking in today’s world.

All the best
Brenda

Glad the information helped :¬) can I also just say that I learned all this from studying the bible with Jehovah's Witnesses, so if they call at your home be sure to have a good discussion with them.

Brenda
(Numbers 6;24-26)


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Brenda, I thank you for all what you're contributing in building up my Christian life. May God richly bless you and give you more knowledge. What I am facing now at hand is how to strengthen my faith. I have some illnesses in my body and I feel like I should be the one to heal myself. I equally like the gift of healing and when I see a sick person, I just like imagine myself stretching my hands on top of that person for healing. Please kindly give me directives on this. God bless you. Thanks, Etienne.

Answer
"I THANK YOU FOR ALL WHAT YOU'RE CONTRIBUTING IN BUILDING UP MY CHRISTIAN LIFE."

My pleasure :¬) living in this conclusion of the system of things with the dark clouds of the great tribulation gathering rapidly. (Matt. 24:3, 13, 21) It is urgent for all true Christians to be building their Christian life around obedient service to God.

That means making Jehovah (God’s name) the very centre of our lives. It involves focusing on the Kingdom as our main concern. It entails obeying God in all the activities of our daily lives, pouring our heart into our personal, family, and congregational study of the Bible and into our ministry, making these our priorities. (Eccl. 12:13; Matt. 6:33) Such an obedient course results in a rock-solid faith, which will not collapse in the face of any storms of adversity that may strike.

"WHAT I AM FACING NOW AT HAND IS HOW TO STRENGTHEN MY FAITH".

Our faith will become stronger if we persist in pursuing the course that God’s Word sets out for all Christians. Increased faith can result from daily Bible reading and diligent study of the Scriptures. (Luke 12:42-44; Joshua 1:7, 8) We are encouraged by one another’s faith through our regular presence at Christian meetings, assemblies, and conventions. (Romans 1:11, 12; Hebrews 10:24, 25) And our faith is strengthened when we speak to others in the ministry.—Psalm 145:10-13; Romans 10:11-15.

"I LIKE THE GIFT OF HEALING AND WHEN I SEE A SICK PERSON, I JUST LIKE IMAGINE MYSELF STRETCHING MY HANDS ON TOP OF THAT PERSON FOR HEALING?"

Jesus’ many miracles of healing and raising the dead, performed while he was on earth, are only a small indication of what HE will accomplish by his powerful Kingdom rule. Even mankind’s inherited dying condition will be removed, for we are assured that “death will be no more.”—Revelation 21:4; 22:1, 2; Matthew 11:2-5; Mark 10:45; Romans 5:18, 19.

Its lovely that you see a sick person & want to heal them, shows what a nice heart you have, but healing is for Jesus in the future, & is not the what we can do just now.

The miraculous cures of Jesus were performed with the help of God’s holy spirit. They demonstrated his purpose to solve all of man’s health problems in his due time. Jehovah promises “the curing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:2) And he will not only heal sicknesses but do away with death. John explains that Jesus came “that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) What a fine healing that will be! Jesus will again perform cures like those recorded in the Bible but on a far grander scale. He will even resurrect the dead! (John 5:28, 29)

In God’s new world, which, according to all the evidence, is close at hand. That new world, to be ushered in after the wickedness of this system of things has been removed forever, will be a real blessing for right-hearted mankind. It will be a world without suffering. “[God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4) What a contrast to what we see around us today!

Therefore, in cases of sickness, pray to God for support. And whether sick or healthy, learn how eternal life without sickness will indeed be possible. Build up your faith in this trustworthy promise of God by studying the many references to it in the Bible. Learn how God’s purpose in this regard is nearing fulfillment according to his own timetable. Have no doubt, for God’s Word assures us: “He will actually swallow up death forever, and the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will certainly wipe the tears from all faces.”—Isaiah 25:8.

All the best
Brenda