The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance<\/em>” (II Peter 3:9).<\/p>\nThe verses you alluded to talk about the impossibility of saving people who remain in their sins, but no one has to stay a sinner.<\/p>\n\t
Question:<\/h2>\n
I appreciate your email back, I am struggling right now with suicidal thoughts, feeling that I can’t get back to God after so many years of sin.<\/p>\n
Please keep me in your prayers, and thank you for responding back.<\/p>\n\t
Answer:<\/h2>\n
Feelings do not determine what is reality (Proverbs 28:26). Most often, feelings are wrong.<\/p>\n
God isn’t holding you back. You are doing that to yourself. “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear.\u00a0 <\/i>But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear<\/i>” (Isaiah 59:1-2). Instead of wallowing in your own grief, use that sorrow as motivation to change and leave your sins. “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.\u00a0 <\/i>For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter<\/i>” (II Corinthians 7:10-11).<\/p>\n\tResponse:<\/h2>\n
I will listen to what you have said and will try to draw near to God.<\/p>\n
Thanks for listening.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Hi, I was sexually abused by a man in a church. I went down the road of homosexuality, I asked the Lord into my heart at the age of 23.\u00a0But many times I fell into sin. I am concerned as I don’t hear the Holy Spirit anymore.\u00a0 From what I have read in the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[35,666],"class_list":["post-25202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-homosexuality","tag-sexual-abuse"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3107,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-homosexuality-isnt-genetic-then-is-heterosexuality-genetic\/","url_meta":{"origin":25202,"position":0},"title":"If homosexuality isn’t genetic, then is heterosexuality genetic?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 9, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Please explain that if homosexuals are not born that way, then there is no evidence heterosexuals are born that way either. So when did you choose to be a heterosexual? Can heterosexuals also be converted into homosexuals? Can a heterosexual fall in love with someone of the same sex?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45167,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-overcame-sexual-abuse-and-homosexuality-when-i-became-a-christian-but-now-i-find-myself-slipping-back-into-my-old-ways\/","url_meta":{"origin":25202,"position":1},"title":"I overcame sexual abuse and homosexuality when I became a Christian, but now I find myself slipping back into my old ways","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I need help brother! I obeyed the gospel and was added to the Lord's church several years ago. I came out of the Baptist denomination. When I was a child, I was molested by two men in my family. This went on for years. I was around 6 years\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31209,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-husband-admitted-to-being-a-homosexual-i-didnt-divorce-him-because-of-the-expense-now-im-with-another-man-does-that-mean-we-cannot-have-sex\/","url_meta":{"origin":25202,"position":2},"title":"My husband admitted to being a homosexual. I didn’t divorce him because of the expense. Now I’m with another man. Does that mean we cannot have sex?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 5, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: After nearly twenty years of marriage, my husband told me he was gay, has always been gay, and had been participating in homosexual acts. Our marriage had been a troubling one from the beginning. We were young, not well prepared for our first child. There was mental abuse and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27801,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-god-condemn-homosexuals-when-he-made-them-that-way\/","url_meta":{"origin":25202,"position":3},"title":"How can God condemn homosexuals when He made them that way?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 19, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have read many of\u00a0your answers regarding homosexuality\u00a0and how it is a sin no different than stealing or adultery. Being gay myself, and having both a Christian mother and Atheist father, I have constantly pondered about religion and my sexuality. What do you feel is God's reason or justification\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":57531,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-homosexuality-just-another-way-of-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":25202,"position":4},"title":"Is Homosexuality Just Another Way of Life?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 2, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Guyton E. Montgomery Homosexuality is a problem that is plaguing the nation. Television, movies, magazines, and music are bringing this abomination into our homes. Children are being taught that this is just another choice and that there is nothing wrong with it. Something must be done! The problem is:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2710,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-isnt-more-time-spent-on-spreading-the-golden-rule\/","url_meta":{"origin":25202,"position":5},"title":"Why isn’t more time spent on spreading the golden rule?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 28, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Yes, I did generalize your views when I inferred that the church goes after sins of the \"flesh\" and homophobic is one of the words I used to describe your stance. After reading your response it turned out that I was right in your case. It seems that the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25202\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}