I've been seriously struggling with sin.....

[KayH85]

Don't worry about your occult experiences. Advice from fortune tellers is no different as that given by well-meaning Christians when they "feel the Holy Spirit" saying something and then proceed to talk a lot of nonsense. Nonsense is nonsense; whether it involves consulting the tarot and praying to the aliens, or whether it's rubbish advice given in homegroup in Jesus' name: that's just the aesthetic slapped on top of the rubbish. As for forgiveness, the reason God forgives is independent of you; his forgiveness of you is based on Jesus representing you, not you representing yourself. Even Jesus himself mentioned to forgive someone "70 times 7 times", which was making the point: there is no cutoff. We're sinners by nature, it's just the way we are, we can improve through repenting and learning self-discipline but basically until we're resurrected in new bodies there's always going to be sin in your life; we'll never be sin-free until then. Just the way it goes.

As for your inappropriate content addiction, obviously that's not ideal. You need a plan for getting your cravings for intimacy met through dating and marriage - a connection with someone else - rather than inappropriate contentography and masturbation. This requires getting out of yourself, rather than withdrawing into yourself, which is a bad habit that inappropriate content further enables. Withdrawal isn't compatible with intimacy. First thing is to get rid of your internet at home. Go out to a cafe and use the free wi-fi there instead. While you're getting out, start getting out even more. Go out and live life, get involved in hobbies and groups where you socialise with new faces rather than the same old people all the time, cross paths with single men, say yes when they ask for dates, etc. Will probably take a few tries and false starts but no matter.

Yes! You are so right! Thank you.

 

[KayH85]

Hello

I can totally relate, I fell down the inappropriate content spiral as well and wallowed in the gutter for a long time, and it was very severe. But I encourage you, for all things are possible with God in Christ!

To be blunt, inappropriate content addiction is a disastrous epidemic. Viewing inappropriate content is like drinking spiritual poison, out of all the habitual sins you can get trapped in, this is by far the one that has potential to cause the most harm to the soul, and its at our fingertips constantly (if you let it be). However, no matter how grim the situation, the power of Christ is infinitely greater and His light overwhelms the darkness. At the very most basic level, you need to trust Christ! Know and believe that He is the truth, submit yourself to His lordship, turn your life over to Him.

First of all, there needs to be understanding, both on the spiritual and physical side in terms of whats going on with this type of addiction.

inappropriate content addiction is very similar to drug addiction in the sense that both activities release endogenous chemicals in the body which are what cause the physiological addiction to inappropriate content. Drug addiction is substance abuse, meaning you need to actually administer the drug into your body for the "experience". The reason why inappropriate content addiction is so difficult to deal with is because it creates a behavioral pathology that is triggered very easily with something as simple as a thought or visual cue, and due to the intense nature of the physiological addiction, it can become insanely hard to resist and not give in.

It begins in the mind. The more you consume inappropriate content and engage in sexual sin, the more your brain becomes literally wired that way. This is the process by which you build neurological pathways in your brain, its the same paths that you keep "walking" over again and again as you keep engaging, these paths become more worn and larger, they quickly turn into super highways through which more and more brain activity gets funneled into. Ever notice how easily you can see sexual things in the most ordinary of places, where there isn't anything even sexual about it? That's evidence of this very process.

If your hand causes you to sin, CUT IT OFF and cast it from you. This is Christ telling us how serious sin is, and how seriously we need to deal with it.

The first step is to get inappropriate content completely out of your life, period! Provided you are serious, determined, and willing to do what it takes - it all begins here. There is no point doing anything else until this is addressed. I have a laptop with a web filter, and an iphone + ipad with restrictions (no browsers or apps) and I am accountable to my parents. Are you ready to do what it takes and sacrifice?

Accountability is also key, very important. Let me be clear, this is not something you can do on your own. Find someone you trust, it may be difficult but this is where humility comes in. You need to deal with this issue in the light, openness and honesty is crucial! Because of the nature of inappropriate content, you cannot allow yourself to struggle on your own! Trust me, I tried it. Bringing it out into the light is what will disarm the isolation and everything that comes with it.

Once you have cut off the flow of poison, you can now address the spiritual side.

Repentance. The problem with sin is that it numbs us spiritually, especially when we are swimming in it, we are unable to truly feel the gravity of it in the moment. Repentance doesn't mean you need to feign certain emotions, it doesn't mean you need to force yourself to feel bad. Godly sorrow begins with understanding and agreeing with God by agreeing with His word on what sin is, what it does, and what it's consequences are. Namely, that it separates us from Him, that it grieves our holy and loving Father and that it required Him to crush His own precious Son on our behalf to pay for its gruesome penalty. There is nothing more precious and beloved to God than Christ, yet He made Him to become a curse on the cross for the sake of our salvation, that He might reconcile us back to Himself through Christ and restore the intimate fellowship with Him for which He designed us for. If you are having a hard time on this point, be honest and open with God and admit it. You need to bear all before Him. Ask Him to open your eyes.

Whatever you do, do it from a desire to honor God. Understand that our ways are death and that His ways are life and joy everlasting, ultimately the reason you should want to do this is to truly walk with the Lord.

It's normal if you find yourself physically acting out as you work through the process, be honest with God and ask forgiveness each time, "...for He is faithful and just to forgive...". Provided you are genuine in your desire to be free, are living out your repentance by turning away from sin and are doing what it takes to move forward, it will get better.

Next step is to renew your mind. Born again Christians have the Holy Spirit living inside of them. He is the Spirit of Christ who resides in us. The same power that created the worlds and raised Christ from the dead resides in your spirit, the deepest core of your being. He is the One who brings us spiritual salvation, regenerates our spirit and sanctifies us. He is God's agent of recreation, the third person in the trinity.

Freedom from this type of thing is not a gift that is just given to us, it is a process we need to work out with focused determination. Regardless of the circumstances, we are the ones who chose to walk into the tunnel, and we need to pick ourselves up and walk out.

Here is the key word: saturate.

In the same way that we meditated on lust and lewdness and saturated ourselves in sin, you now need to saturate your mind with the things of God. You wont be able to do this perfectly, but that doesn't matter. Do it to the best of your ability. As we do this, the Holy Spirit is the one who will work in us to transform us. I'm talking about the whole 9 yards. Find a solid church community to join, get plugged into a network. Most importantly, develop a personal devotional and prayer life. Set your mind on the things above - anything that is good, pure, and holy. Have a memory verse each day you meditate on. Get as close to Christ as you can, let His word abound in you.

Most importantly, meditate on Christ Himself. Above all else, the absolute most important thing - know, understand and believe in your new identity in Christ and the position you have in Him. Search for these scriptures, the Bible has a LOT to say on this, lay down this spiritual foundation of truth onto which you will build. Make your faith in Christ and your desire to know and please Him the superior pleasure.

God Bless You

Thank you very much, this is all very helpful.

 

[Monna]

Psalm 119:9-11
How can a young man (read 'young woman') keep his (her) way pure?
By guarding it according to thy word.
With my whole heart I seek thee;
let me not wander from thy commandments!
I have laid up thy word in my heart,
that I might not sin against thee.

Fill your mind continuously with the Word of God (especially Jesus who IS the WORD) and there will be little time or mental space for things that are not pleasing to Him. A modern way of understanding "laying up" His word in your heart is simply "memorize Scripture." If only one verse a day, every day. You will never regret it.

 

[Dorothy Mae]

So I have been struggling with habitual sin (inappropriate content, yes women struggle with that too) for years and I can't seem to break away from it completely so that I will never do it again and over the last few weeks I have been getting readings from psychics mainly about what my path to marriage will be like. I know as Christians we aren't supposed to use psychics or have anything to do with the occult, but I was really curious about my future husband and whether or not I will get married since I'm 33 and still single. I just want to get right with God, but I don't feel like I will ever be able to do that. I don't want to go to Hell. What should I do? I have God asked to forgive me, but he cant keep on forgiving me forever and I'am saved, but I don't know what else to do.

If you go to the Devil (Psychs) then sin will have a great hold on your life because you willing open the door for demonic powers. No only do you go to them, something from them comes home with you. You have opened the door to powers greater than yourself. You need to repent and ask forgiveness and ask God to cleanse you and NEVER again go to those who use demonic spiritual powers to give you that which you are unwilling to trust God for. Saul did that and it did not turn out well for him.

 

[Lybrah]

So I have been struggling with habitual sin (inappropriate content, yes women struggle with that too) for years and I can't seem to break away from it completely so that I will never do it again and over the last few weeks I have been getting readings from psychics mainly about what my path to marriage will be like. I know as Christians we aren't supposed to use psychics or have anything to do with the occult, but I was really curious about my future husband and whether or not I will get married since I'm 33 and still single. I just want to get right with God, but I don't feel like I will ever be able to do that. I don't want to go to Hell. What should I do? I have God asked to forgive me, but he cant keep on forgiving me forever and I'am saved, but I don't know what else to do.

Psychics consort with demons most of the time, and demons lie. Most psychics will tell you what they know you want to hear. Trust in God. I’m 42 and not married, and probably will never be, but I can’t do anything about it if God wants me to stay single. Don’t waste your money on psychics. If it’s not coming from God, you don’t want it.

 

[aiki]

God's forgiveness comes at a price, Kay. Jesus died to atone for the sins you commit. He bore the terrible penalty of your wickedness on the cross and died there to obtain for you the forgiveness of God that you could never have obtained on your own. Don't let anyone suggest to you, then, that it's okay to sin because God'll always forgive you. That's the thinking of one who doesn't understand and value the price that Christ paid for their sin.

Fiddling around with the occult is also a very dangerous business. Give this sermon a listen and you'll see what I mean:

The words of a psychic may be nonsense, or they may be the words of a demon (or they may be both). How are you going to tell? Whatever the case may be, you have sought out secret (occult) knowledge apart from God and in so doing have opened yourself up to the demonic realm. Again, don't let anyone tell you that doing so is harmless. It most definitely isn't.

inappropriate content also is an avenue through which the demonic gains ground in your life. Once that ground is obtained, the devil will build a stronghold in your life - which he has - and only the power of God will tear down that stronghold and free you from the sin into which you've come into bondage. Here's how God says you'll get free:

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

Do you bring every thought, every impulse, every yearning into subjection to Christ? Do you cast down sinful fantasizing, and false beliefs, and evil thinking in your mind and make them captive to the will and truth of Christ? This is how you pull down strongholds of sin in your life.

Here's another step to take in the war against your flesh:

Romans 13:12-14
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Are you casting off the works of darkness? Have you got rid of every avenue to inappropriate content? Have you removed from your life any trigger or lure to watching inappropriate content? Most importantly of all, have you put on Christ? Are you clothed in his righteousness, and walking daily in the light of your new identity in him? Are you living in constant, moment-by-moment surrender to him? This is the ultimate means to freedom from sin. This is God's avenue to a holy life and deep fellowship with Himself.

Many Christians just want to ease their conscience about sin. They don't want to live the way the Bible tells them they were made to live; they just want to stop feeling guilty and ashamed of their sin. God's not into half-measures, though. His way to freedom works - but only when it is actually followed. He will set anyone free who wishes to be free but they must live in the manner He dictates. For most, that way seems too radical, too God-centered, too hyper-spiritual. And so they look for solutions to their guilt in other lesser places and strategies and settle into a perennially compromised and carnal life that knows nothing of deep, joyful intimate fellowship with God.

2 Corinthians 6:17-18
17 Therefore "Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you."
18 "I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty."

 

[The Ark Hive Mind]

Yes! You are so right! Thank you.

This is from an ex-satanist and matters of psychics, consider it [a bit long, but really interesting, and sometimes a bit hard to understand as the testimonial has a thick french-canadian accent]

 

[zoidar]

So I have been struggling with habitual sin (inappropriate content, yes women struggle with that too) for years and I can't seem to break away from it completely so that I will never do it again and over the last few weeks I have been getting readings from psychics mainly about what my path to marriage will be like. I know as Christians we aren't supposed to use psychics or have anything to do with the occult, but I was really curious about my future husband and whether or not I will get married since I'm 33 and still single. I just want to get right with God, but I don't feel like I will ever be able to do that. I don't want to go to Hell. What should I do? I have God asked to forgive me, but he cant keep on forgiving me forever and I'am saved, but I don't know what else to do.

I struggled with this for many years. I was set free when I got to know God's love to mankind in my heart. It filled my emptiness, and now I no longer have to struggle. Sometimes I get a temporary urge, especially in evenings, but i wave it away like a fly. For me the emptiness in my heart was the reason for watching bad stuff, I was looking for some kind of comfort. When Jesus love came into my heart, I got meaning and purpose, and I got free.

I don't know how your life looks like as a Christian, but are you fully living for God, or do you have most of your joy in other things like hobbies and so on? You may need to refocus on God, and fully give your life to Him. I think that's the only thing that will set you free. You know, where you put your treasure, there also your heart will be (Luke 12:34).

 

[George64]

So I have been struggling with habitual sin (inappropriate content, yes women struggle with that too) for years and I can't seem to break away from it completely so that I will never do it again and over the last few weeks I have been getting readings from psychics mainly about what my path to marriage will be like. I know as Christians we aren't supposed to use psychics or have anything to do with the occult, but I was really curious about my future husband and whether or not I will get married since I'm 33 and still single. I just want to get right with God, but I don't feel like I will ever be able to do that. I don't want to go to Hell. What should I do? I have God asked to forgive me, but he cant keep on forgiving me forever and I'am saved, but I don't know what else to do.

I struggled not with inappropriate content but other sexual urges when I was younger. Wanted to sleep with about 90% of the women I met. Never did anything illegal or rude or anything though. I think it was due to being single and not right sex life. I imagine God will understand. Not like I when overboard or caused any hurt to anybody. Occult I had to totally get rid of. I found it messed up my head. So, psychics, witchcraft, mediums and the such I am done with. I think they are to do with satan

 

[Sal Robinson]

KayH85, thank you for your courage to share and willingness to change.....what you've demonstrated already is powerful...

the number one cure for sexual sin is real genuine human connection......sexual sin is a symptom of a hole in our human connections..

God mad us for relationship, not isolation.....

when I say isolation, you can be surrounded by "friends and family" all day and still feel isolated...

the problem is that churches need to be better at connecting with people.......

the cure to your problem is relationship....get great quality relationships with friends......and one day you will find that partner for you


but we have to master relationships with friends first.......there alot more to it but this is as much as I can articulate for now.....


relationships are the cure ...most particularly relationships with people whose hearts are touched by God's heart and share their heart with you and you share with them

praying for you friend Reach out anytime

 

[Some person]

The fact that you care about it in the first place is a good sign. Jesus Christ died for our sins because God knows that we cannot keep from sinning on our own, and that is how you are already saved. So when you are lost and hopeless because of sin, ask the one who saved you in the first place, the one who always answers and performs miracles we cannot give you. God always listens, and when you feel distant to him because of sin, that's when he wants you to reach out to him. How could praying not be the answer? So pray! I'm praying for you, too!

God bless you!

 

[Dan61861]

Each and everyone one of us that has giving you advice struggle with sin. How glorious it is that Christ has died for our sins. God is glorified in the mercy He has shown us.

I have struggled with this particular sin as well. Although I feed inappropriate content often, for many years I myself would never call it an addiction. For me, calling it an addiction takes my culpability away. I can honestly say, it is my sin. I was fulfilling my lust, my desires.

I tried to quit, I prayed for strength to quit. Yet, my lust, my flesh overcame me every time. One day, I was at my wits end. I prayed, Lord I am weak, you are strong. I cannot defeat this, my lust, my sin is bigger, stronger than I. Lord, I surrender, I release this to you. It's yours, it's in your hands. I cnnot defeat it, you can. I give it to you, let your will be done.

Since that prayer, the temptation still pops up once in awhile. Yet, it's much easier to push aside. Give it to Christ, let Him deal with it.

In Christ
Daniel

 

[sold4christ25]

Each and everyone one of us that has giving you advice struggle with sin. How glorious it is that Christ has died for our sins. God is glorified in the mercy He has shown us.

I have struggled with this particular sin as well. Although I feed inappropriate content often, for many years I myself would never call it an addiction. For me, calling it an addiction takes my culpability away. I can honestly say, it is my sin. I was fulfilling my lust, my desires.

I tried to quit, I prayed for strength to quit. Yet, my lust, my flesh overcame me every time. One day, I was at my wits end. I prayed, Lord I am weak, you are strong. I cannot defeat this, my lust, my sin is bigger, stronger than I. Lord, I surrender, I release this to you. It's yours, it's in your hands. I cnnot defeat it, you can. I give it to you, let your will be done.

Since that prayer, the temptation still pops up once in awhile. Yet, it's much easier to push aside. Give it to Christ, let Him deal with it.

In Christ
Daniel

Hi Daniel,

I kmow its been a while since this post. I hope you are still around to answer. Could you clarify something for me? Did you struggle with this sin for "many years" as you stated...after becoming a born again christian?

This seems to be my dilemma ( as well as an obsession) as to whether or not it indicates any separation from God etc...due to the fact that i willfuy and persistently struggling with this on and off since being baptized and claiming Jesus as Lord.

Thanks for the reply in advance

Solomon

 

[Alana Hope]

So I have been struggling with habitual sin (inappropriate content, yes women struggle with that too) for years and I can't seem to break away from it completely so that I will never do it again and over the last few weeks I have been getting readings from psychics mainly about what my path to marriage will be like. I know as Christians we aren't supposed to use psychics or have anything to do with the occult, but I was really curious about my future husband and whether or not I will get married since I'm 33 and still single. I just want to get right with God, but I don't feel like I will ever be able to do that. I don't want to go to Hell. What should I do? I have God asked to forgive me, but he cant keep on forgiving me forever and I'am saved, but I don't know what else to do.

God DEFINITELY can keep forgiving you forever! God knows the heart, and He sees your desire to rid yourself of this sin. He accepts slips and falls. He knows we are not perfect. That is part of His perfect mercy.

I would definitely be more concerned about visiting a psychic. Man can't know the future, only God knows that. Trust that he will provide. My favorite verse is Jeremiah 29:11 "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"