Falling into sin is so discouraging. I've been a believer for years. When does it stop? Will God honestly forgive me and love me still? Can you honestly believe this? If so, how do you do it? How do I make the shadow of death stop?

>>33351121 (OP)
The love of God knows no ends, we are fallen and will be. believe, feel honest remorse for your sins as you seem to do and love God. you are all good fren, no one here can forgive you but He can.
stay strong.

>>33351121 (OP)
I'm not really a Christian, except in the cultural sense, so take this with a grain of salt:

I believe that if you have a *long enough plan*, and "don't sweat the small stuff," as the saying goes, then everything will work out alright for you. The long-term plan is necessary because it implies that "sin" (and karma) is what harms you in the long run. You might be gratified today by stomping an innocent creature but in the long run it will weigh on you, if you are fully human (and why would you want to be anything else?)

>>33351121 (OP)
>Falling into sin is so discouraging. I've been a believer for years. When does it stop? Will God honestly forgive me and love me still?
Of course. Once you repent, your sins are as far from you as the east is from the west.

>>33351121 (OP)
>Will God honestly forgive me and love me still?
>Can you honestly believe this?

Yes. I used to struggle to believe this for my whole life until very recently. It finally sunk in when I became a father, and I saw my child in my wife's womb,moving and wriggling around on the ultrasound scan.

It's not born yet. But I knew in an instant, it will be born soon. And later it will grow into a child. And from a child, will become an adult. My child will most certainly encounter sin & evil, just as I did. Falling for it, practicing it or becoming gullible enough to enable it, whichever. I already know, because I know life and reality, I know myself. I know the frailty of mankind.

And I also predetermined I will forgive my child on the day it sins. I will already offer love and mercy for it during those dark days.

My kid ain't born yet but I already got the forgiveness ready and waiting for it. I already know it will sin eventually. But I still choose to love that kid.

Then it hit me, God does the exact same thing for us. In fact, He is where we get that foresight and willingness to love from. We are made in His image.

God already knew you'd sin, OP. Before your birth even. He already chose to forgive you, and love you. Because God is our father.

>>33351121 (OP)
Sactification is a process, we can't expect bad thoughts appearing and we can't prevent Satan from tampting us, but we can pray that it doesn't happen.
The most important thing is to not engage in it, i myself have stopped watching porn and masturbating but every now and then lustful thoughts appear to me, and even though i never act upon them, i struggle becuase i sometimes engage in those thoughts rather than ignoring them.
We're all carrying a cross here, nobody is different in that regard, but everyone must do it