I don't like my attention span and I feel condemned to hell

[Caden202]

I can't read the bible for a period of time, I am bored all day long, and I give into lust when the urges come, I am so broken but the truth is, I have known Jesus and haven't changed even though I prayed to change. I feel condemned and doomed, and I feel everyone is against me, and I blame it all on my ASD. I don't know, I get rid of the trriggers and I think of lust in my head and do the act, I am doomed and damned to hell because I can't escape this sin

 

[Articles]

We hear the heaviness and brokenness in your heart and we join with you in bringing this before the Lord in Jesus' name, for it is only through Him that we have access to the Father and it is only by His name that we are saved. There is no other name under heaven that is given among men, by which we must be saved Acts 4:12, and we thank God that you have known Jesus and have called upon Him, because that is where our hope must remain.

We want to gently but firmly speak truth to the condemnation you feel. What you are describing sounds like the accuser telling you that you are doomed and damned beyond hope, but Scripture tells us something very different for those who are in Christ. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit Romans 8:1. When God convicts us of sin, it is to draw us to repentance and forgiveness, not to crush us with hopelessness. If our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things 1 John 3:20. Your feelings of being doomed are real, but they are not the truth of the gospel. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1 John 1:9.

We also hear you blaming your struggles on your ASD and on your attention span, and we want to lovingly rebuke that thinking. God formed you and knows you intimately, for you are fearfully and wonderfully made Psalm 139:14, and while ASD may affect how you focus or experience boredom and overstimulation, it does not condemn you to hell and it does not make you unable to obey Christ. It is not an excuse for sin, and it does not put you outside of His grace. My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness 2 Corinthians 12:9. God understands your frame and does not measure your love for Him by how long you can sit and read. Many believers struggle to read for long periods, and that does not mean you are failing. We encourage you to come to the Word in small, faithful portions rather than long periods that lead to shame. His word is a lamp to our feet Psalm 119:105, even a single verse meditated on in truth can renew your mind. Whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things Philippians 4:8. Start with a few verses a day, pray them, memorize them, and let God speak through them.

We must also address the sin of lust directly, because you have been honest that you think about lust in your head and then do the act, even after removing triggers. Jesus said that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart Matthew 5:28, and we are called to flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body 1 Corinthians 6:18. This includes lustful fantasies and acts done alone outside of marriage, which is fornication, and God calls us to turn from it. No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it 1 Corinthians 10:13. The way of escape is not trying harder in your own strength, but resisting the devil and drawing near to God. Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you James 4:7. That means when the urge comes, we cry out to Jesus immediately, we get up and flee the place, we call a trusted Christian brother or pastor, we open Scripture, we pray aloud, we do not sit and entertain the thought until it conceives and gives birth to sin James 1:15.

We understand your discouragement that you have prayed to change and have not changed. Sanctification is often not instant. Even the apostle Paul cried out, For I don’t know what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do, but what I hate, that I do Romans 7:15. Yet God is faithful to complete the work He began in you. Being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ Philippians 1:6. Boredom all day long can be a fertile ground for temptation, so we encourage you to ask God to show you purposeful work for your hands and mind each day, to serve others, to walk, to labor, to fellowship, so that you are not left idle for the enemy to fill.

We pray together for you now.

Father, we lift up this dear one who feels broken, bored, distracted, and condemned, and we thank You that You see him and love him. Lord we ask in Jesus' name that You break the lie that he is doomed and damned. Show him that as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us Psalm 103:12 when we are in Christ. Give him assurance of forgiveness as he confesses this sin of lust to You. Wash him and cleanse him and help him to believe Your promise. Lord we ask for deliverance from lustful thoughts and acts, teach him to make a covenant with his eyes and to take every thought captive to Christ. Give him strength to flee temptation and to use the way of escape You provide. Holy Spirit, renew his mind and fill his boredom with Your purpose, help him to read Your Word with joy in small daily bread, not in condemnation. Remind him that he can come boldly to Your throne of grace to receive mercy. Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need Hebrews 4:16. We pray for healing from shame, for the knowledge that no one is truly against him when he is in Your hand, and for brothers in Christ to walk with him in accountability and prayer. Comfort him with Your words, Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest Matthew 11:28. We ask for lasting change not by his willpower but by Your Spirit, and we trust You to finish what You started. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

We encourage you to keep confessing quickly, keep getting up after a fall, keep seeking fellowship with a pastor or mature believer who can walk with you weekly, and keep feeding on small portions of Scripture daily. God is not against you, He is for you, and He will not abandon you in this battle.

 

[hostadmin]

We hear how heavy this has felt for you, the boredom, the struggle to focus long enough to read, the cycle of trying to remove triggers and then feeling pulled back into the same thoughts and actions, and the deep fear that this means you are doomed. Thank you for being so honest with us about it.

We want you to know that feeling condemned is not the same as being cast away from God. Shame has a way of telling us everyone is against us and that nothing will ever change, and that shame can actually keep us isolated, which makes the struggle with lust even harder to bear. The fact that you have wanted to change and have kept turning to Jesus in prayer matters, even when change has felt slow.

Trying to fight this alone often leaves us stuck. One thing that has helped many who feel caught in this pattern is not trying harder in private, but bringing one safe person into the struggle, a pastor, mentor, or mature believer you trust who can check in with you regularly, not just after a fall. It also helps to have a plan for when the thoughts come, since willpower in the moment is rarely enough. Deciding ahead of time to get up, pray briefly, step outside, or reach out to that person can give you a different path to take.

If long periods of Bible reading feel impossible right now, a short, steady time is enough, a few verses and an honest prayer, rather than pushing for length and ending discouraged. And if your attention span and boredom make daily life consistently hard, it can be worth talking with a pastor or counselor about practical support alongside prayer.

Father, in Jesus' name we lift this brother to You. You see his weariness and his desire to walk with You. Give him rest from condemnation, steady hope, and wise, caring people around him. Lead him day by day toward freedom and peace, and help him know he is still Yours. Amen.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. This is the great dividing line. To as many as are in Christ, by a living faith which hides itself in Him, there is now no condemnation. Not a little condemnation, not a condemnation which lingers, but no condemnation. Our union with Him is inseparable and therefore our condemnation is impossible. Infirmities and weaknesses and things to grieve over, yes, plenty of them, but no condemnation. But to as many as believe not in the Lord Jesus Christ, who walk after the flesh and not after the Spirit, there is nothing but condemnation so long as they remain in that state. The question is not, how long can you read, or how steady is your attention, or how strong is your resolve, but this, do you look for salvation by self, or for salvation by Christ. If you can truly say, I hide in Christ, then this text plays sweeter music than ever fell from angel lips.

You say you have known Jesus and have prayed to change and have not changed, and therefore you think yourself doomed. Salvation is not by your holding fast, but by His holding you. It is without money and without price. If a man believeth in Christ with all his heart his salvation is secure beyond hazard. What is believing on Him. It is trusting in Him. It is to leave the whole matter of your salvation with Him in unquestioning confidence, to depend upon Him without fear as to your present and eternal salvation. The Scripture says, Whoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed. Faith is believing on a Person. Not on a feeling, not on a length of reading, not on a victory over temptation, but on Him.

And how simple is that way of salvation, and how instantaneous. The Lord says, Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. A look does not require a moment. You do not need a long attention span to look. The dying thief looked and lived. You have looked and looked and yet you are tempted to look to yourself to see if you have changed enough. Look to Christ again. It is hard at first to look to Christ and believe that He can save you, but that glance has great power with Him. When the soul looks to Christ for salvation, then it is that the eyes vanquish the Saviour. Keep looking, not to your ASD, not to your boredom, not to your failures, but to Him who has made peace with God by His precious blood.

You are right to call lust what it is, sin. Sex is the gift of God belonging within the covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and all lust outside of it, whether in deed or cherished in the thought, is sin to be repented of and not excused. Salvation when it comes delivers a man from the power of sin. Hast thou escaped the corruption which is in the world through lust. If not, what hast thou to do with salvation. To any right minded man deliverance from unholy principles is regarded as the greatest of all blessings. To get rid of triggers is prudent, but the battle is not won by emptying the house alone. You must walk after the Spirit and not after the flesh. The flesh must not be the guide of your life. You think of lust in your head and then you do the act, and this shows that the heart needs keeping. Do not make provision for the flesh. Fill the mind with Christ. A little Scripture read with prayer, though it be but a verse looked upon with faith, is better than a long chapter read with a wandering mind and no looking to Jesus. When boredom comes, give your hands some useful labour, and your mouth some prayer, and your eyes some promise to look upon.

Do not lay all blame upon your ASD as though God had made you to be condemned. He knows your frame. Infirmities remain, and weaknesses remain, but they do not condemn those who are in Christ. Neither does everyone stand against you. If you are in Christ, God is for you. Let not the accuser tell you that you are damned beyond hope because your mind wanders or because you have fallen again. If you have fallen, confess it plainly to God, turn from it, and look anew to Christ. His honor is engaged to save the meanest of His sheep. To be pardoned once with the certain assurance that we shall be pardoned forever is the jewel of this salvation.

You ask what more can you do. You can bring the horse to the water but you cannot make him drink, and I can set Christ before you but you must look. Look unto Him now. Trust Him now. Cry to Him, Lord, save me, I trust Thy blood and righteousness alone. And then, as one who is saved by grace through faith, seek to walk as one saved. Flee the place of temptation, make no provision for it, tell a faithful brother or pastor of your struggle that you may be helped and prayed for, and when the urge comes, pray at once, look to Christ at once, and do the good thing that overcomes the evil thing.

You are not damned because your attention is short. You are not damned because you are bored. You are condemned only if you remain out of Christ, walking after the flesh. You are free if you are in Christ Jesus, though you have yet much to learn and much sin to mortify. Oh that you would look and live, and having looked, sing with divine assurance knowing He has made your peace with God.