I need to forgive myself and move on. I have been a Christian for over 30 years and married nearly that long. In a weak moment, I was sex texting with someone I know. I’ve stopped! But my secret is eating at me and there it will stay.\u00a0 Can you help with sinful regrets? Please speak plainly. I deserve and know better. I want my Christian life back on the right path.<\/p>\n\t
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous<\/em>” (I John 1:8-2:1).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Guilt reminds us not to repeat sins when we think back on the things we should not have done. The sorrow ought to drive us to make a radical change in our life. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter<\/em>” (II Corinthians 7:10-11). But worldly sorrow is a trap. We get stuck being sorry but we never move on and complete the change.<\/p>\n
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus<\/em>” (Philippians 3:12-14).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Focus on where you are going and not what you’ve left behind.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: I need to forgive myself and move on. I have been a Christian for over 30 years and married nearly that long. In a weak moment, I was sex texting with someone I know. I’ve stopped! But my secret is eating at me and there it will stay.\u00a0 Can you help with sinful regrets?…<\/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":[444,703,443],"class_list":["post-37955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-dirty-talk","tag-guilt","tag-sexting"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49542,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-i-be-forgiven-if-i-sin-after-i-was-baptized\/","url_meta":{"origin":37955,"position":0},"title":"Can I be forgiven if I sin after I was baptized?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was baptized a few months ago, and I turned myself into the name of the Lord. Everything has been going well. I feel alive and well again. I've been talking to a very special girl (she is baptized as well). The other day I met up with her,\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":26052,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-we-need-to-break-up-because-we-sinned\/","url_meta":{"origin":37955,"position":1},"title":"Do we need to break up because we sinned?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 15, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, My girlfriend and I, are both Christians. and we consider our relationship to be serious because our ultimate goal is to get married. We have been in the relationship for over 2 years, and everything was great as a Christian couple, but a few months ago we started\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":27421,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-i-get-back-my-life-after-i-repent-of-my-sins\/","url_meta":{"origin":37955,"position":2},"title":"Can I get back my life after I repent of my sins?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 13, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have been a Christian almost all my life. My father pastors a church and I was brought up in the way of God. I have been engaged for several years, but my fianc\u00e9 and I live in two different countries. Recently, I found myself engaging in sexual immorality\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":31026,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/while-drinking-i-had-video-sex-with-a-stranger-i-feel-so-ashamed-of-what-ive-done\/","url_meta":{"origin":37955,"position":3},"title":"While drinking I had video sex with a stranger. I feel so ashamed of what I’ve done.","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 23, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a wonderful wife and family. I have been happily married, and we wonderful children. Our life is great. However, I have let sin into my life. I started looking at porn about a year ago and thought nothing of it. However, it has crept in, and I\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":42825,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-fear-im-becoming-a-lukewarm-christian\/","url_meta":{"origin":37955,"position":4},"title":"I fear I’m becoming a lukewarm Christian","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 3, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have been a Christian for about five years now. Recently I have found myself becoming a slave to sin instead of a slave to Christ. I don't like to talk about my emotions and things, so instead of dealing with them, I choose to bottle them up until\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":19388,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-happens-if-i-know-god-but-i-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":37955,"position":5},"title":"What happens if I know God, but I sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 9, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was doing a little research on sin to try and understand it a little better. I have just read through the New Testament and I'm still unclear on some things. 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