Struggling with lust...

[npakergy16]

Alright I'm gonna make this as short as possible...

This has basically been my life story for the past 7 months...

I've been trying to live my life for God as best I can, repent completely of my sins and live a pure and clean life, but there's one thing that keeps holding me back...lust/masturbation.

Now I've come a ways over these past 7 months and have gone from watching porn to just using my imagination. I've been trying my hardest to cut it out all together, but here's the deal...

I'll go like 2-3 weeks without any lust/masturbation at all and then WHAM! It hits me like a ton of bricks. I'll just get kindove horny one day so I'll go off on a pleasure fest, masturbating sometimes up to 4 times in a day. I immediately feel guilty and ask for Gods forgiveness, then I'll repent for another 2-3 weeks before the demon comes back and it happens again.

My question: What have you guys done to stop masturbating/lusting completely?

It seems like there's a spiritual battle/physiological warfare going on in my head and although I've prayed for God to give me the strength to get past it, it still continues to happen. I wanna get to the point where it's not happening at all because I feel sooo guilty about it and I know God hates it.

So what should I do? How can I get the self control and get in the proper mindset to stop masturbating completely? Anything that's worked for you in the past?

Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated.

Drew

 

[RuthD]

I ask Jesus for guidance with my prayers every day. Maybe you could try that if you haven't already. I don't know how old you are but maybe it's time to find a girl to marry. May God help you find the right one. I am praying for you. God bless you.

 

[rev2214]

i'll pray for you this is our best weapon

prayer throughout the day is important
Keep praying for god to fill you with the holy spirit and give you the strength to get through the day

If we look at jesus and learn from his example , he always prayed all night and thats how he gained his power by the holy spirit so if we were to pray constantly throughout the day even if were walking on the roads just saying a few prayer in our head it helps

This is how i overcome my sex addiction and sexual thoughts

also reading and studying the bible everyday and asking god to guide you throughout his word is also important aswel

Once God gives you that victory these temptations it wont bother you anymore only unless you deliberately put yourself back into situations where you no satan can gain access to your mind

 

[npakergy16]

I ask Jesus for guidance with my prayers every day. Maybe you could try that if you haven't already. I don't know how old you are but maybe it's time to find a girl to marry. May God help you find the right one. I am praying for you. God bless you.

I've actually been praying for God to bring the girl I'm gonna marry into my life for a few months now. If you could pray for me on this matter it would be great

 

[Johnnz]

You are now sexually mature. Sexuality is now very much part of your life. We must distinguish between what is just our normal sexuality and wrong sex. An interest in sex and females is normal. Porn is not healthy. Some kind of sexual release becomes as issue in the teenage years - masturbation, through sexual dreams, or engaging in sex. Christians have moral principles to uphold, but we must not demonise our basic human sexuality because it is there in our awareness.

John
NZ

 

[RuthD]

I've actually been praying for God to bring the girl I'm gonna marry into my life for a few months now. If you could pray for me on this matter it would be great

I'm praying for you brother.

 

[Purge187]

I've actually been praying for God to bring the girl I'm gonna marry into my life for a few months now. If you could pray for me on this matter it would be great

I've been praying for a few years now, and I sense I'm close to meeting her soon.

Here's to hoping and praying <Staff Edit>

 

[PerfectinProgress]

Something that's helping me right now is to read my Bible every morning to start my day off right. You must start feeding your Spirit. My prayers are with you and God will never abandon you!

 

[HeOwnsMySoul]

A few things that will help you is to study Gods word about sex inside marriage. What you want to do is inform your mind about Gods beauty in His creation. This will help your see the beauty of sex in marriage and the ugliness of sexual immorality. Another thing that will help is to study what lust is, that you are committing adultery with a woman in your heart. No man but that man she is married to is allowed to do that.

Hope this helps!

 

[davidtriune]

Hi, I've posted this in several places, but 3 very important things that freed many people include these following three principles.
1. Confess to another (trusted) Christian for healing. James 5:16
2. Cut off what causes you to sin. Get rid of all tempting items, because those have become attachments that will cause you death like gangrenous limbs unless you cut them off. Mark 9:43
3. And finally, once the devil flees you (Luke 11:24), fill in the place that the evil spirit(s) used to occupy, with the good spirit of God instead. Ephesians 5:18-20

These principles will help you in any addiction, not just lust. If you need a mentor to help you through this, there are trained Christians (not professionals but who have wisdom on the topic) on settingcaptivesfree.com (take the free Way of Purity course).

 

[Struggling4Jesus]

If you are a young person, it is understandable you struggle with this issue as young adults, both male and female, will usually do.

I struggle with issues of lust too, but don't 'M' anymore! I was drawn to pictures of women, usually not explicit, what might even be considered soft porn, the type of pics on lads mags like Loaded, Nuts etc (British mags). I am a Christian as well, but we are not supermen or superwomen, and are prone to all the feelings and emotions like everyone else; with the emphasis on overcoming them, even if we know that we can't ever shut them off completely. I am now getting help, in the first real stages of getting help so that I can struggle against these feelings. First off, I am seeking Christian counselling of some kind; until I find a Christian guy I can 1-2-1 with, over email, phone or face to face, I will keep looking till I found someone who has time to listen and then offer practical help and genuine sympathy. Secondly, I keep away from websites that might have 'girlie' pics on them, and there are some that are not technically porn sites but are festooned with provocative images, even if not in any way explicit. I also don't Google image 'pretty women' or things like that! Because there'll always be something there you don't want to see! Thirdly, I have bought a number of books cheaply from Amazon written by Christian guys who have struggled with this issue themselves. I can recommend a number if you want but look for Steve Arterburn books for starters. Fourthly, I am reading free online stuff talking about this issue as well. Fifthly, I am asking God into it all, admitting I have a problem and praying for Him to take the feelings away. I am also embarking on reading scripture again. Prayer is the most important first step and of course asking God into it.

 

[Crowned One]

A quick word of advice for you. If i may? Don't just pray for a wife pray also for a friend. You dont want to be solely marrying a woman so that you will be sexually satisfied. You want to marry a friend, a good woman that you love and are attracted to and somebody that respects and values you and you her.

 

[Crowned One]

You are not alone in this issue believe me. As a christian for 11 years now i have had and still do deal with lust and sexual desire in myself a lot!

I can tell you a personal story that brought alot of breakthrough for in the area of lust and the minds imaginings that get out of hand sometimes.

I have battled lust lot as a young christian and ive experienced Gods love and mercy just as you do now many times when ive failed and i have failed many times. The thing that i had to get straight once was finding out the difference between normal sexual attractions and desires and lust. The two are not the same and one is good and healthy and right but other is a world of wrong.

Being a male you have sexual desires, you dont always play them out or think about them but you have them and its what makes you look at that beautiful woman when your out on the street or riding the bus home from school. Its just what happens when i man sees something like beauty he cant help but give his attention it and thats normal. What would not be normal in this situation is if i started to fantasise and imagine doing things and commit sin with that woman in my heart while im looking at her on the bus. Do you get me? This is lust.

When i look at a woman and commit with that woman actions in my mind, essentially im committing lust and adult like Jesus said int he bible.

There sexual attraction and desire which isnt bad in itself and it should be allowed to be expressed and vented buy it shoudnt be focused on for to long or entertained by lust. Once lust starts to kick your gone!

Here my story. One time while on a train i started to to lust in my heart with the presence of some women on the same carriage as myself. I struggled and tried to kick the lust but nothing worked and the more i tried to egnore it of push it to the back of my brain the more it became a problem and then all at once i somehow managed to open my heart and the inner place of where all this lust taking place and give it to Jesus. I dont know how i did this within myself but somehow i managed to open up an area in my heart/soul to Jesus inside of me and then BAMM as soon as i did this and opened it up to Jesus, the lust immediately stopped. This might not happen for you but im believing that you will have breakthrough in your life in this area and that you will grow to be pure in heart as he who lives in you is also pure in heart. Never underestimate that one who lives in you because all things are possible.

Ive found that knowing the difference between normal sexual desires and sexual attraction and lust/imaginations of the heart with a woman helpful.

Also i dont really know if masterbating is completely wrong and evil in itself but i do know that doing it all the time isnt healthy and abstinence is to be encouraged. <edit>

Blessings

Crowned One