A Letter To My Friends Who Claim Jesus.

This letter is to my friends who claim Jesus as their Savior, who claim to live for him, who claim him on social media posts. This is for my friends who claim Jesus and who claim me as their friend. If you claim Jesus, and you claim me as your friend I see that as you giving me permission to call you out when you are blatantly walking in sin and not walking in what the Lord has for you.

I have hesitated writing this for fear of being seen as judgmental and for fear of losing friendships, but honestly I feel like I have a righteous anger when it comes to this and I am not forcing you to read this post. I literally get mad when I see the bondage the enemy has some of y'all in. I get mad when I see some of y'all blinded, numbed and shackled down by your sin.

 I want to start off by saying you're not a horrible person if you sin, we all have sin that holds us in bondage at times. We all have sin the enemy tempts us with. We all have sins that we are weak around. I am saying that if you claim to be a follower of Jesus and allow yourself to continue to fall into your sin so much you become numb to the Lord's convictions then maybe you have some reevaluating to do. I am saying if you claim Jesus and you're not even trying to flee from temptation and are ACTIVELY seeking out things that displease the heart of the Lord then maybe you need to spend more time in prayer and in the word. I am saying if you claim Jesus as Lord over your life and you are not seeking accountability, seeking out people who will help you gain victory over your sin, then maybe you should. Sin is NOT something the Lord takes lightly. Yes he is SO VERY GRACIOUS, but that is not a reason to continue to sin with no conviction and no desire to to be sanctified. I am seriously so broken for my friends who have become numb, are not trying and are actively seeking out things that the Lord commands us to flee from.

I struggled for years with sexual temptation and masturbation. Although I never slept with a man before my husband, sexual temptation was my weakness and the place the enemy tried to lure me in and make me fall. I have only told a handful of people about this but I feel it is time I used it as a testimony.

Yes, I struggles with this sin, yes for awhile the enemy made me believe that I had to be so ashamed I had to keep it secret, but I never became numb to it because I was actively seeking the Lord and He convicted me each time I fell and when I was in His word. He eventually, SO GRACIOUSLY sent me a friend who shared her struggle with me that I may open up to her and no longer fight the daily battle without accountability. I memorized scripture, I dug into the word more, I cried out to the Lord for victory over my sin. I told more of the friends closest to me so that I was held even more accountable. And you know what...I received COMPLETE VICTORY over my sin! My chains were broken and I was set free. This my friends is a testimony of what our Father wants for us. He does not want us to live in our din and be okay with it. He has called us to purity and daily sanctification and to live with an eternal perspective. The things here on earth that make us feel good will fade. What the Lord has for us has an eternal glory that far outweighs the pleasure of anything on earth,

1 Thessalonians 5:22English Standard Version (ESV)

22 Abstain from every form of evil.

James 1:13-15English Standard Version (ESV)

13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Galatians 5:19-21New Living Translation (NLT)

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:18English Standard Version (ESV)

18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin[a] a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

2 Timothy 2:22English Standard Version (ESV)

22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Luke 17:3-4New Living Translation (NLT)

3 So watch yourselves!

“If another believer[a] sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. 4 Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

Colossians 3:5-6New Living Translation (NLT)

5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.

1 John 1:7-9New Living Translation (NLT)

7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

Proverbs 27:5New Living Translation (NLT)

5 An open rebuke
    is better than hidden love!

Isaiah 64:6New Living Translation (NLT)

6 We are all infected and impure with sin.
    When we display our righteous deeds,
    they are nothing but filthy rags.
Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall,
    and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

Proverbs 28:13English Standard Version (ESV)

13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
    but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy

1 Corinthians 15:57New Living Translation (NLT)

57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.