Not doing so hot

Well lately I have fallen deeply into sin. Mostly lust. Please pray for me.
Does anyone have any advice to help combat lust?

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I am orthodox :-)

Contentment is a great tool for your fight against lust. Be content with what you have, your life, your position in the world and be thankful for all that you are and have.

The Fathers say fasting is an effective tool against lust, and in fact say a full belly is an almost sure precursor to it. Stick to the ritual fasts of the Church as closely as you can or as your priest prescribes.

LK

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Hey there brother!

Many people struggle with lust, and this is especially a problem for people of our age. But don't let it get you down. Remember when Judas fell into sin by betraying the Lord Jesus Christ, he gave up and hanged himself, and by that he destroyed his soul. However, when St. Peter the Apostle betrayed the Lord, he didn't allow Satan to win, by making him give up like Judas did. He was able to repent his sins and continue to serve God.

We all sin, and we all struggle, so don’t despair. Think about it this way. A Saint is a person who falls down and then gets back up.

You might want to read this excerpt from the Prologue of Ohrid on St. Moses the Ethiopian.



http://www.westsrbdio.org/prolog/prolog.cgi

1. VENERABLE MOSES THE BLACK [THE ROBBER]
Moses was an Ethiopian by birth and by profession, at first, a robber and leader of a band of robbers and, after that, a penitent and great ascetic. As the slave of a master, Moses escaped and joined the robbers. Because of his great physical strength and arrogance, the robbers chose him as their leader. Suddenly, Moses was overcome with pangs of conscience and repentance for the misdeeds, which he had committed. He left the group, entered a monastery and gave himself completely in obedience to his spiritual father and to the monastic rule. He benefited much from the teachings of Saints Macarius, Arsenius and Isidore. Later, he withdrew to solitude in a cell where he dedicated himself completely to physical labor, prayer, vigils and godly-thoughts. Tormented by the demon of fornication, Moses confessed to Isidore, his spiritual father, and from him, received counsel to fast even more and never to eat to full satisfaction. When even this did not help he, at the counsel of the elder, began to keep vigil at night and to pray standing; after that, he began the practice of bringing water to the elderly monks from a distant well all night long. After six years of terrible struggles, St. Isidore finally miraculously healed him of fornicating thoughts, fantasies and dreams brought about on him by demons. Moses was ordained a priest in old age. He founded his own monastery and had seventy-five disciples and lived in this life for seventy-five years. He foresaw his death and, one day, he told his disciples to flee for the barbarians were going to attack the monastery. When the disciples also urged him to flee with them, Moses said that he must die by violence for, at one time, he himself committed violence and, according to the words: "For all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword" (St. Matthew 26:52). He remained there with six brethren and the barbarians came and slew them. One of the brethren, hidden in the vicinity, beheld and saw seven shining wreaths as they descended upon the seven martyrs.





In Christ,
Andrew

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Set up a meeting with your Priest. In the meantime, I like saying the Canon to the Lord: You have to scroll down i the left screen area to find it:Canon of Repentence to our Lord Jesus Christ I find that this Canon really touches me, but an Akathist is good too.

I am especially fond of saying the midnight office when I have really slipped. Getting up in the middle of the night and saying the midnight office all the way through is very cleansing for me. I don't have a link to it. It is in a prayer book I have. I am sure there is a link somewhere but I couldn't find it in my bookmarks.

edited to add: here is a link to the midnight office. I didn't check to see if the translation was the same as mine but most likely it is. I know the order of the Psalms in the beginning is the same: Midnight Office

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Pray pray pray pray and then pray

Most of the time, I find that when I fall into temptations like this, it is because I have been neglecting my prayer life. Not saying that's the case with you. That's just been my experience. Go to confession and receive God's healing.

Don't let yourself fall into despair over this either. Christ came to save sinners and we're all in the same boat. The devil's most clever trick is getting us to lose hope in our own salvation, because that keeps us from truly repenting and accepting God's mercy.

Fall down...get up....fall down....get up.


As Confuscius said (I'm allowed to quote Confucius in TAW, aren't I? )

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

Keep at it, bro, and have faith that the Lord is helping you through this even as we speak.