God's Unconditional Love

I'm glad I have eternal life because I know God loves me unconditionally, not based on my character, but regardless of who I am or what I do.

I have come a long way on my spiritual journey, especially in the areas of lust, grace, and love. I was trapped in the death spiral of lust and pornography. At one point I had had enough and began trying to fight it, to resist what I had trained my body to improperly desire. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break free. I couldn't climb out of the pit I had fallen into. I even prayed numerous times for God to heal me and then I continued to try and fail. I would abstain from porn for a little while, but then fall back even deeper. Eventually, God led me to realize that I didn't have the ability within me to change my ways (John 15:5). That was when I began to surrender my problem wholly unto Him. I gave up trying and began trusting. His Word says that He loves me unconditionally and will not let me be tempted beyond my ability (1 Cor. 10:13). He has compassion for me as a father does for his child (Psalm 103:13) and already knows all the sin I will commit throughout my entire life (Psalm 139:16) and He loves me still. I began to open up my heart for God to instill in it the virtue of purity. Psalm 119:9 says that I can guard my purity with Scripture, so I began to memorize Bible verses pertaining to lust, sexual immorality, etc. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says that our sanctification is God's will. I was able to find some good books on the subject that mapped out excellent practical strategies to guarding my purity through proper habits and the use of Scripture. Even though I still struggle to overcome the consequences of years of pornography, I have come a long way and praise and thank God for all He has done for me. "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's." Psalm 103:2-5

I am a work in progress, and will be until the day I die. I know that God is continuously working on me, bringing my character to be more and more in line with Christ's. If I weren't His child, this would not be so, but nearly everyday, I see His hand at work in my life. I am bearing the fruits in accordance with following Jesus and am confident that I will someday see Him face to face.