Don't be too hard on yourself

If you are a struggling Christian, often defeated by some besetting weakness or sin, there is victory.

But you have to learn to be in the Body and fight the battle in a corporate way. You need spiritual companionship. God will reserve greater victory for you if and when you learn more horizontal love and companionship with fellow Christians.

"Fight the battle in the Body."

This is what I have learned since coming into the local church life.

Originally posted by sonship
If you are a struggling Christian, often defeated by some besetting weakness or sin, there is victory.

But you have to learn to be in the Body and fight the battle in a corporate way. You need spiritual companionship. God will reserve greater victory for you if and when you learn more horizontal love and companionship with fellow Christians.

"Fight ...[text shortened]... [b]in the Body."

This is what I have learned since coming into the local church life.[/b]

Should believers ~ if they are struggling ~ perhaps busy themselves with doing good works?

Some Christian brothers get way under condemnation because of their failures.
Victory is there for you. But not before you learn to be joined to others in and around and by Jesus Christ alone.

In the oneness there is greater power.
In the corporate there is srtonger vitality in the Holy Spirit.

Why? Why? The reason is that the oneness builds up God's plan.
Giving attention more to God's need for a corporate expression individual needs are better met many times.

Brothers and sisters, save yourself some decades. Learn that vitality is amplified in spiritual companionship in Christ. Get ready for many passages for this to be proved. It is true in my experience and still being demonstrated to me.

Originally posted by FMF
Should believers ~ if they are struggling ~ perhaps busy themselves with doing good works?

Oh no .. good works?? You mean try to earn ones salvation? Thats in insult to Christ and legalistic.

Originally posted by sonship
If you are a struggling Christian, often defeated by some besetting weakness or sin, there is victory.

1. Don't be too hard on yourself.

Originally posted by sonship
If you are a struggling Christian, often defeated by some besetting weakness or sin, there is victory.

2. You don't actually have to do anything.

Originally posted by sonship
If you are a struggling Christian, often defeated by some besetting weakness or sin, there is victory.

3. You will be "saved" whatever happens and whatever you do.

Originally posted by sonship
If you are a struggling Christian, often defeated by some besetting weakness or sin, there is victory.

But you have to learn to be in the Body and fight the battle in a corporate way. You need spiritual companionship. God will reserve greater victory for you if and when you learn more horizontal love and companionship with fellow Christians.

"Fight ...[text shortened]... [b]in the Body."

This is what I have learned since coming into the local church life.[/b]

By this we will know that we originate with the truth, and we will assure our hearts before
him regarding whatever our hearts may condemn us in, because God is greater than our
hearts and knows all things. - 1 John 3:19

Originally posted by sonship
If you are a struggling Christian, often defeated by some besetting weakness or sin, there is victory.

4. Just think of how non-believers will be tortured for eternity ~ it will make your Christian life easier.

Originally posted by FMF
4. Just think of how non-believers will be tortured for eternity ~ it will make your Christian life easier.

Why would you want to focus on eternal death when you can focus on eternal life? 🙄

Originally posted by FMF
4. Just think of how non-believers will be tortured for eternity ~ it will make your Christian life easier.

5. Sit with like-minded false believers and shout out Jesus Christ name all day.

Originally posted by Fetchmyjunk
Why would you want to focus on eternal death when you can focus on eternal life? 🙄

I have no reason to believe in "eternal life". My focus, I suppose, is that much of this stuff is incoherent and/or just doesn't withstand scrutiny. sonship once claimed that knowing his "enemies" will be tortured [after they die] by his angry vengeful god makes it easier for him to be a Christian. It's so convoluted and perverted. I find it interesting.

The following is a Hymn speaks much of what I would like to share. It is about spiritual victory in the oneness of the Body of Christ. That is something of the corporate nature of spiritual warfare which empowers beyond individuality of isolation in the Christian walk.

copied without permission from
http://www.witness-lee-hymns.org/hymns/H0885.html

"
Hymn 885

SUBJECT: SPIRITUAL WARFARE-IN THE BODY
METER: 8.7.8.7.D.
AUTHOR: Witness Lee
COMPOSER: Phillip P. Bliss

1 Fight the battle in the Body,
Never fight it on your own;
With the Body to the Head joined,
Fight the battle on the throne.

Chorus
Fight the battle in the Body!
By the virtue of the Head;
Standing firmly with the Body,
Into vict’ry you’ll be led.

2 For the Body is God’s armor,
Not for anyone alone;
When you wrestle in the Body,
All its benefits you own.

3 ’Tis the Church on Christ established
Satan shall not overpow’r;
’Tis the Body built together
Which resists the evil pow’r.

4 In the Body, by the Headship,
Sitting in the heavenlies,
Struggle with the wicked spirits
And the principalities.

5 As a member of the Body,
With the brethren stand for God;
Praying always in the Spirit,
Claim the vict’ry through the Blood.

6 In the heav’nlies more than conqu’ror,
In the power of His might,
As a soldier in the army,
In the Lord the battle fight.

7 Keep on wrestling in the Body,
Mighty vict’ry you will see,
Bind and loose, God’s will fulfilling,
And the foes your food will be.

If you wish to sing it, here is how the tune goes -

https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/885

Some of Christians are weak because they need to have a companion or more in their spiritual pursuit. This meets God's need as well as our own. Because it takes care of God's need and not just our self-centered need in an individualistic way, God blesses the individual pursuit. But He blesses more abundantly the pursuit in agape love which seeks to build with another or others His corporate body.

Even in Ecclesiastes we see something of the amplified supply in spiritual unity.

Ecclesiastes 4:12

American Standard Version
And if a man prevail against him that is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

It is good to realize failure when it shows up.
It is good to confess failure and receive the cleansing of the blood of Jesus.

It is even better to ask God to expose failure that is based on you being too alone and too individualistic, separated from another sister or brother in Jesus Christ.

By companionship in Christ I do not mean two Christians getting together to talk about movies, cars, politics and having no regard for the Lord Jesus. I do not mean finding some like-minded Christian with whom you can be in your natural life with.

No, I mean seeking a partner with whom you reserve some time for the pursuit of things of God. We are coming together for this specific time CENTERED upon Christ. At least we are CENTERED on Christ first before we attend to other mutual interests.

Fellowship is not Christian one added to Christian two.
Fellowship is meeting in the Person of Christ - in the name of Christ - meeting focused on Christ. The time may be limited - ie. one half hour. But it is focused on Christ together.

Because this so pleases God's heart because it consider's HIS need and HIS kingdom, all other things will be added to you as well.

I am not saying God will not bless at all our individual pursuit of Christ. I am saying you will save years of beating up on yourself because you are not so victorious as you think the Book says you should be, if you learn that you are a member of something bigger called "the Body of Christ".

Meeting even with one or two others with a consciousness of this Body of Christ, each will obtain greater victory.

This is something of apprehending with all saints the dimensions of Christ.

" ... that you, being rooted and grounded in love, May be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are and to know the knowledge surpassing love of Christ, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God." ( Ephesians 3:18b-19)

You move just a bit closer to that entity which is the Christian destiny - to be corporately filled unto all the fullness of God. This we can remind God of. This we can place before Him and remind Him to honor that we come apprehending with other saints His riches - that we may be filled up with the life of God.