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

notMyRealName said:

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 porn 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 pornography and masturbation. This requires getting out of yourself, rather than withdrawing into yourself, which is a bad habit that porn 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.

Click to expand...

ThatCanadianDude_88 said:

Hello

I can totally relate, I fell down the porn 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, porn addiction is a disastrous epidemic. Viewing porn 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.

Porn 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 porn. Drug addiction is substance abuse, meaning you need to actually administer the drug into your body for the "experience". The reason why porn 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 porn 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 porn 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 porn, 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

Click to expand...