Can you ask for forgiveness and fail to be forgiven?

will a judge let you go of the punishment of your crime because you just say you're sorry?

 

It appears you do not understand the difference between asking for forgiveness and being repentent. Why ask for forgiveness if the intent is to continue the erroneous activity?

Being repentent is not only asking for forgivenss, but committing to not commiting the same sin over and over and over again.

However, the crux of your question seems to be -- can God forgive me for repeating the same sin? Yes. Forgiveness has no limit, not even the 70*7:
Mat 18:21-22 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

 

But YOU won'y ever succedd.
Only God can rescue you from your problems. As long as YOU try to reform, "aint hapnin' "

 

xdisciplex, are you a follower of Christ? Have you been born again? This is the foundation of the problem. If not, the good you want to do you cannot possibly do, for evil is right there with you. It is only when you have a new nature, given by Christ in a new spiritual birth through the Holy Spirit that you will have the power necessary to conquer your old habits. The power is, indeed, His, but a born again Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and He will change you bit by bit.

If you are born again and you are still being plagued by this whatever-it-is habit, then go to the Lord earnestly in prayer and ask Him to change you. He will do it. The purpose of the Holy Spirit in your life is to conform you to the image of Christ and if Christ did not do this whatever-it-is thing, then you will not either in the long run. Some habits are hard to break, but with God nothing is impossible and He is strong enough to conquer all.

About forgiveness, yes, it is yours for the asking. But there is no need to feel like a rubber ball bouncing back and forth when the Lord is there to give you the strength and wisdom you need to be obedient to Him and live a life that exemplifies Him.

 

I agree with what Helen said. Yes, temptation is hard. God doesnt just take temptations away. Just ask David. We have to meet Him halfway. I like to quote scripture when I am tempted in the things that plague me. My favorite one to use is this:

1 Cor. 9:27 "I discipline my body and bring it under subjection, so that when I have preached to others, I myself might not be disqualified."

 

Helen,

No lost person seeks to do good in the eyes of the Lord (Romans 3:9-18).

Disciple,

Once you are a Christian, you will struggle with sin for the rest of your life. It is called sanctification and is taught in Romans 7 where Paul talks about his own struggle with sin as a believer (not as an unbeliever, as lost people do not struggle with sin, they embrace it). As I said in another thread to Star of David: Struggle with Sin = Sanctification / No struggle with sin = lost and dead in your sins. You will never be able to achieve righteousness on your own and in your own power. If you are not a Christian, I pray that God will save you. If you are a Christian already, you need to understand that it is God who works out righteousness in you and that you are still a wretched sinner (Romans 7:24). You might be wondering what hope you have as you struggle with your sin nature. The answer is found in verse 25 of Chapter 7 and the whole of Chapter 8.

I hope this helps.

Joseph Botwinick

 

Forgive others first. Then take up the issue with God, prayerfully, knowing that He listens. A habit, or "besetting sin," sometimes takes a while to get over.

 

Disciple,

I think I have given you this advice before and you argued with it. But, I will give it again, and then leave it alone. If you want to lose some confusion, get out your Bible and start reading it daily, and find a Christian Church if there are any in your area (if not, there are some great Christian Pastors on this board who can disciple you, people like Dr. Bob Griffin). The more you read the Bible, I think the less confused you will be. You need to put away all the different ideas for a while and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you through the Bible. You need a pastor who is mature in his faith who can help you understand the hard Scriptures you don't understand.

Joseph Botwinick

 

disciple, Peter was able to walk on water as long as he kept his focus on Jesus. It was when he changed his focus to the storm around him that he started sinking. Even then, Jesus reached out His hand and rescued him.

I can remember times in my early Christian walk when I would think such things as "What if it is all a cosmic joke?" When I became muddled inside, I learned to strip away everything but Jesus. I knew Jesus. Then it would all become clear and peaceful again. He is the center. He is the truth.

Joseph is right about reading your Bible. That is the Lord's Word to us to give a plumb line for truth -- the truth that is Him and which defines all other truth.

We are really as stupid as sheep in the long run. And we need to crowd close to our Shepherd for comfort and security and peace. We belong to Him and thus He is truly and really on 'our side.'

We have some rescue animals here at our place. We also have two yearling wethers (fixed male goats). The goats are twins but so different in personality. One is totally affectionate and wants to be with me whenever I am out in the pasture. The other also wants to be near me but is just about equally interested in eating! So he is often a little further away, a little more quickly satisfied with a little petting, etc. Do I love the 'close' one more than the 'further' one? No, not at all. They are both adorable and I love them both for themselves.

All of our horses have had poor treatment in the past. Snow was an Argentine polo pony and now lives with a broken hip. She is a little more wary of people than the other animals are, despite months of living with us. Yesterday I pulled up a stalk of corn to spoil the beasts with. To Snow it looked like a whip or something and she wouldn't come near me to get it or even wonder what it was. She did her funny lopsided gallop to the other side of the field and stayed there, watching me warily. The goats had no such fear and came up immediately and thought they were in goat heaven. Our little almost-blind dwarf mini filly came up and was delighted with the treat, too.

All Jesus is doing is offering you the best. He truly is the Good Shepherd. You can crowd close to Him and He welcomes you to do so. Don't worry about the fussing and butting horns of the others in the flock. Keep your eye on the Shepherd. He is the one who owns and loves you.