150 – Joshua – “Am I a Romans 7 Christian, or a Fallen Believer?”
“Hello Michael,
I’m 20 years old. In the past when I was 13, I felt I recognized my state of being a sinner, loved Jesus, hated my pride + sin, had a fire and read my Bible frequently. However, over the years, I felt that the passion dimmed, and I fell into sin (sexual sin, pride, focus on materialism) a lot especially during my high school years. I felt lost in life, and I eventually found your channel. I went through the John 7:17 challenge, saw some progress, but fell into sin again.
I reached out, and you helped me with a video about “Divine Power in the Christian Life”. I really appreciated that video and listened to it multiple times. I sincerely tried applying what I learned by where I went through a span of a week of humbling myself, submitting, and having faith in God, and I even saw Him come through helping me resist and defeat my temptation for sexual sin several times. This continued, until I fell again feeling tired and discouraged.
It was then when I started to question whether this is normal and looked more into my salvation and where I am in my walk. I read through your page on the doctrine of eternal security, and your “how do I know I am saved” video but still have questions.
If I feel I have denied Christ by my actions (negligence, worldliness), have I lost my “saltiness” (never again having that passion I once had) and thus am useless to Christ now? Or do I just keep patiently applying what you discussed about regarding humbling myself, having faith, patience and asking for grace? Am I a Romans 7 Christian or a fallen believer?
Michael, is it over only when we give up, or is there a definitive moment in our lives where Christ says “I’m sorry but, because of that event/sin, your heart changed and thus you did not persevere or endure till the end”?
I’m really sorry for the long email and for contacting you multiple times. I understand you are busy, so I understand if you don’t have time to look at this email. I just want to know where I am on this journey because I’m confused and I don’t know how God sees how I stand with Him. Is just something I discuss with God alone?
Sincerely,
Joshua
Michael’s reply:
Joshua meet Malik. Malik, meet Joshua. Joshua contacted me and mentioned the message I made for you years ago Malik. I mentioned in this recording how even you struggled after I gave that message and that even recently you struggled more and then you found the Lord and used it to really give you a breakthrough on some things.
This message I made for Joshua is not a private message, this is a message that all of us need to hear.
Joshua, may the Lord bless you as you listen and I hope you two will connect with each other and may the Lord bless your efforts.”
Tending the Flame: Keeping Your Spirit Ablaze for Christ
Do you ever feel like you're on the right path, striving to follow Christ, yet still find yourself defeated by weakness or discouraged by sin? Take heart, friend. This is a common struggle for believers. Proverbs 24:16 reminds us, "for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again."
We are not alone in this battle. The enemy and our own flesh constantly tempt us to stray and put water on our fire for God. And just as a physical fire needs tending, so does our spiritual fire. Leviticus 6:12 instructs the priests, "The fire must be kept burning; it must not go out." This Old Testament ritual holds a powerful spiritual principle for us today. Our lives are the altar, and our spirits must be kept ablaze for the Lord.
How do we tend this flame? Through daily disciplines. Just as the priests added firewood each morning, we must fuel our spiritual fire with the Word of God, prayer, and devotional time. These are not optional extras, but essential practices for maintaining a vibrant faith. If we neglect them, our fire will dwindle, and sin will become increasingly attractive.
Remember Paul's exhortation in 2 Timothy 1:6: "Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you." We must actively cultivate our relationship with Christ. This requires effort, discipline, and a willingness to seek His grace every single day.
Don't be discouraged if you stumble. Get back up, repent, and ask for God's help. Keep going. As you persevere, you will find yourself growing stronger, sinning less, and experiencing the true freedom that comes from walking with Jesus. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Keep tending the flame, and watch it burn brighter and brighter for His glory.
