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   PID: Synchronet 3.19c-Win32 master/a7f6b8549 Apr  7 2022 MSC 1929   
   TID: SBBSecho 3.15-Win32 master/a7f6b8549 Apr  7 2022 MSC 1929   
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   Shaun,   
      
    SB> I am trying, I swear it. But I will never be free from sin. And I am   
    SB> terrified because of this!   
      
     If you have done the one thing that God requires (believe on The One He   
   has sent), you have nothing to worry about. Basically, you've admitted to   
   God that:   
      
   1) You are a sinner bound for Hell.   
      
   2) There's nothing you can do on your own to save your soul (that all of   
   your good deeds/righteousness is as filthy rags (literally, bloody   
   menstrual cloths) before God).   
      
   3) Believe on Jesus Christ, by faith, that He took your place on the Cross    
   of Calvary, bearing all your sins from birth to death, shedding His Blood,   
   and dying, to wash away your sin.   
      
   4) Believe by faith that God raised Christ from the dead on the third day,    
   according to the Scriptures. The resurrection is God's Seal of Approval   
   on what Christ did...because if even ONE sin was NOT paid for, Jesus   
   would still be in the grave, and ALL of us would be headed for Hell.   
   The one sin God will NOT forgive is to reject Jesus Christ while here   
   on Earth.   
      
   5) Repent (change your mind) about sin...although you will still have   
   the sin nature and the propensity to sin until you die, or are raptured.   
      
   6) Ask Jesus to forgive your sin, to come into your heart, and be your   
   Lord and Savior.   
      
     As Romans 10:9-10, 13 note, "If you confess with your mouth The Lord Jesus,   
   and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will   
   be saved. For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness; and with the   
   mouth, confession is made to salvation. For whoever calls upon The Name of   
   The Lord shall be saved".   
      
     Anyone...no matter their background, race, finances, gender (male or    
   female, as those were the only ones God created)...who come to God in    
   humility, as noted above, He will NOT turn them away.   
      
     At the moment you ask Christ to save you, EVERY sin that you've ever done   
   in your life, or will do, has been washed away by The Blood Of Jesus. They   
   are in "the sea of forgetfulness", where God doesn't remember them (there   
   is NO FISHING in that sea, either)...and they are cast away as far as the   
   east is from the west. Romans 8:1 notes "There is NO CONDEMNATION to those   
   who are in Christ Jesus". When God looks upon the heart of those who've   
   accepted His Son as Lord and Savior, He sees us as righteous as Jesus is,   
   as if we had NEVER sinned. There is a song entitled "What sins are you   
   talking about?? I don't remember them anymore"...words from The Lord   
   Himself.    
      
     Now, we still wake up in the morning with that sin nature, as well as    
   body odor, bad breath, the call of nature, etc. -- and we will still have   
   all of those until we die, or are raptured.   
      
     1 John 1:9 notes "If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to    
   forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness". You only    
   need to confess it to The Lord, even He knows about it already. It just    
   shows Him that you are aware that you did wrong, and you confess, repent    
   (agree with God that this behavior is wrong), and ask His Forgiveness...   
   and it's done. Don't confess it before a preacher or a priest...they're    
   as much a sinner as you are...and sadly, some will use this as bribery    
   against you.   
      
     Now, God's Grace is a LICENSE TO SERVE, and NOT a LICENSE TO SIN. And,    
   those who continue unabated in sin, without feeling guilty (conviction from    
   the Holy Spirit) should question whether they truly were reborn spiritually.   
   If you've asked Christ to save you, He will make a change in your life, and   
   you will want to please Him.    
      
     But, as noted, ALL of us are going to still have that sin nature, even    
   after we are saved. Every Christian has at least one area where they are   
   particularly vulnerable...whether it's an addiction...not spending time    
   in His Word...attitude toward others, etc. And, everyone has at least one    
   skelton in their closet...while some have a whole graveyard of bones!!   
      
     So many people have the fear that "God is waiting to strike me dead for   
   some sin(s) I've done". While He will discipline His Children (as any good   
   father would), He does NOT punish us. While discipline seems as if it's the   
   same as punishment (think of when you got spanked on your naked buttocks    
   while you were growing up), it's actually different. Now, you may have done    
   some sin in your life that will cause consequences (drug addiction, etc.),    
   but once you've done the one thing that God requires (as noted above), ALL    
   your sins (past, present, and future) have been forgiven...end of story.   
      
     Again, if you are in Christ, the issue of sin, having been settled at The   
   Cross, will NOT even be considered at the Bema Judgment Seat Of Christ,   
   which will immediately follow the Rapture Of The Church (that event is   
   closer by the second). While rewards will be gained and lost there, every   
   one there will still be in Heaven.   
      
     The ones who won't be there will be those who died without accepting   
   Christ as Lord and Savior...or for those who didn't do such before the   
   Rapture. If they don't accept Christ before they die...or if they take   
   The Mark Of The Beast during the Tribulation (which will literally be   
   seven years of Hell on Earth)...they will go to Hell when they die...   
   and be at The Great White Throne Judgment, where they will answer for   
   every sin they ever did in thought, word, or deed.    
      
     Lastly, everyone...eagerly in this life and in Heaven...or compelled    
   to on Judgment Day...will bow before The Lord Jesus Christ. For those who   
   do it eagerly, Jesus will be their Best Friend. For those who end up   
   being compelled, Jesus will be their Worst Nightmare.   
      
     Two of my favorite sayings are:   
      
   1) Please be patient. God isn't finished with me yet.   
   2) Don't worry about my sins on Judgment Day. You won't be asked about   
   them.    
      
     For that matter, since I accepted Christ on March 28, 1978, He's not    
   going to ask me about them when I stand before Him...because "The Blood   
   Of Jesus cleanses from ALL sin".   
      
   Daryl   
      
   ... Upgrade: Remove old bugs, insert new ones.   
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