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sporzcnter
Guest
I have dealed with pornagraphy and masturbation for most of my 20 years and I know many other who have suffered from this sinly temptation. How does one get past these temptations?
- Status
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space_ghost
Guest
Prayer…
Rosary…
More Prayer…
Don’t ever give up…
Sounds easy…it’s not…
May God grant you peace and may your prayers be answered…
Rosary…
More Prayer…
Don’t ever give up…
Sounds easy…it’s not…
May God grant you peace and may your prayers be answered…
S
Scott_Waddell
Guest
Good points Space Ghost, but don’t forget the most important ones: Confession and frequent reception of Our Lord in the Eucharist.
You may want to increase your confessions to at least once a month and perhaps once a week. Try to go to daily Mass and Eucharistic adoration.
Scott
You may want to increase your confessions to at least once a month and perhaps once a week. Try to go to daily Mass and Eucharistic adoration.
Scott
J
John_Henry
Guest
Scott Waddell:
I am fighting my way through this stuff too. It is difficult, but everything that has been said is true. As a new Catholic, I am finding confession to be invaluable in the fight, as well as frequent mass. Prayer…and never give up. The second you give up is when the enemy has won.
C
CatholicBerean
Guest
I would like to add one to the list that has been EXTREMELY helpful to me. In the moment of temptation just make the sign of the cross and say “Jesus help me”. In my experience this has been a proven success.
One of our biggest enemies is Satan and he encourages us to give in to temptation but he flees from the cross.
M
Mandi
Guest
Do not be fooled the devil knows exactly what it takes to make you fall into sin. By human nature we are weak, God knows this so he gave us the tools to fight it, use them as often as possible.
Start by going to Confession as often as neccessary - Monthly, weekly, daily, whatever it takes. Keep in mind that alot of great Saints went to daily confession (I know this is not always possible)
Every women should be viewed as if she were The Blessed Virgin. Use her as your model and your guide. Put the face of The Blessed Virgin on every women you see.
Say little prayers of Invocation when tempted by sin - like…
“Sweet Heart of Jesus, be my love,
Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation”
“Sacred Heart of Jesus, I give myself to Thee through Mary”
“O Heart of Love, I put all my trust in Thee, for I fear all things from my own weakness, but I hope for all things from Thy goodness.”
Say Daily this prayer for Purity
O Saint Joseph, guardian and father of virgins, to whose faithful custody Christ Jesus, Innocence itself, and Mary, Virgin of virgins, were committed: I pray and beseech thee by each of these most dear pledges, Jesus and Mary, that, being preserved from all uncleanness, I may with spotless mind, pure heart, and chaste body, serve Jesus and Mary most chastely all the days of my life. Amen
And lastly try reading the lives of the Saint. It is no mistake that they have been given to us first for an example and second there is not a problem on earth that a Saint has not tackled before us. May I recommend St. Dominic Savio, St. John Bosco, St Gabreil of Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Maria Goretti.
You are not alone in your temptations, they are just not always the same as others.
C
Chris_W
Guest
Confession is key. But the main key for me is to avoid the near occassion of sin. If that means no TV, not surfing the web, etc. Then that is what you have to do.
Look at the past failures and find the first step you took (i.e. turning on the TV), that eventually led to the sin.
Many sins are a habit. The only way to change a habit is to create a new different habit instead. Pretty soon you will get used to not falling into the sin. Just like quitting smoking. Many people have to find something else to replace the habit.
There is one petition I make of God that has absolutely never been denied. When faced with temptation, I ask God to give me the strength to overcome it. That is a new habit for me. Every time, I ask the same thing.
Another, perhaps more important habit, is that I now habitually ask God to give me the grace to make that prayer when tempted.
I also find the prayer to St Michael effective: “St Michael, defend us in our day of battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and the sanres of the devil. Do thou, O prince of the Heavenly host, we humbly pray, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.”
The last suggestion I can make is this: Be aware of how you look at the women you see in your daily life. Be aware of how impurity causes us to look at women in the wrong way. Is your first thought to wonder if she is a Christian? Or is it to evaluate her physique? Awareness of this causes in me a constant a remorse and understanding of the need to change.
I commend your courage in posting this thread.
Look at the past failures and find the first step you took (i.e. turning on the TV), that eventually led to the sin.
Many sins are a habit. The only way to change a habit is to create a new different habit instead. Pretty soon you will get used to not falling into the sin. Just like quitting smoking. Many people have to find something else to replace the habit.
There is one petition I make of God that has absolutely never been denied. When faced with temptation, I ask God to give me the strength to overcome it. That is a new habit for me. Every time, I ask the same thing.
Another, perhaps more important habit, is that I now habitually ask God to give me the grace to make that prayer when tempted.
I also find the prayer to St Michael effective: “St Michael, defend us in our day of battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and the sanres of the devil. Do thou, O prince of the Heavenly host, we humbly pray, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.”
The last suggestion I can make is this: Be aware of how you look at the women you see in your daily life. Be aware of how impurity causes us to look at women in the wrong way. Is your first thought to wonder if she is a Christian? Or is it to evaluate her physique? Awareness of this causes in me a constant a remorse and understanding of the need to change.
I commend your courage in posting this thread.
G
George_M
Guest
I had a post removed on this subject about 3 days ago.I didn’t think anyone was interested because there wasn’t many replys. Rather than going after the addiction go after what caused it. Most addictions come from an abusesive upbringing.This bugged me for many years and it still does at times. I went to a few 12 step meetings to see what was going on,all 12 step meetings are generally the same. I found out that I’m not nuts, I’m just mad at the world. You don’t really know how much anger you have until you try and get rid of it.I picked up books called " 12 steps for Christians" and " The purpose Driven Life".I read many more than these but these are the 2 that helped the most.There books you just don’t read you study them.It’s so hard to build faith when you can’t trust anyone. If you couldn’t trust your parents that you could see you will have a hard time trusting God.When you do pray get on your knees and pray. You can’t sit there and pray you must get on your knees. Thank God in the Morning when you get up and thank God at night when you go to bed, ON YOUR KNEES. Another thing you must do is go to confession. You must confess your sins to another person.A person who will keep there mouth shut.I think the best one for that is a priest.When you go to confession or when your praying and you start crying your on your way home. Been there done that. You going to slip don’t beat yourself up to bad that is what Satan wants.When you start stinky think they call it. Getting mad or thinking of lust grab the rosary.
I met a priest at one of the meetings I went to and he said, I wish everyone in the church had as much faith as a person working the steps. We are the ones that know we have a problem. There are a lot of people out there that think there God themselves. I could go on and on about this. Anyhow if you need a hand with anything let me know and I’ll try and help,God bless you and good luck and keep smiling God loves you. George
I met a priest at one of the meetings I went to and he said, I wish everyone in the church had as much faith as a person working the steps. We are the ones that know we have a problem. There are a lot of people out there that think there God themselves. I could go on and on about this. Anyhow if you need a hand with anything let me know and I’ll try and help,God bless you and good luck and keep smiling God loves you. George
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Albedo
Guest
I too have this problem, and it’s difficult to admit in public. If you like praying to saints, I believe St. Agnes was a martyed virgin, and a good person to pray to in the battle for chastity. Personally, I say the rosary every night (usually at about 1:00 AM or so … I’m a night-owl), keep my Bibles on my computer desk, and my crucifixes close at hand. Recently I’ve vowed not to view pornography or masturbate … and I’ve been doing good so far. If you have a crucifix necklace, if you feel the temptation to sin, put it on as a reminder of our Lord. Remember that you should try not to do anything you wouldn’t do in His presence.
Good luck in your fight, my friend! God bless you, and I hope my rambling helped a bit.
I just wanted to say that’s an amazing idea, and one I hadn’t thought of before. If a guy were to do that every time he was tempted by lustful images or thoughts, how could he possibly go through with the sinful act of masturbation? Thank you for that suggestion.
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George_M
Guest
no-porn.com/ Here’s a good web site that may help
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Didi
Guest
Many addictions stem from a need to “fill” ourselves with something. We misindentify this hunger for something physical, when in fact it is often spiritual. Try to think of the urge to view porn and/or masturbate as a call from God wanting to be with you (and the devil trying to keep you away). He loves you and wants to fill your emptiness and longing with His Love and Mercy.
Hope this helps!
Hope this helps!
I
itsjustdave1988
Guest
Determine the circumstances of when and where your are most likely to commit this sin. Then avoid these circumstances. For example, if it is early morning when just waking up that you are most likely to act sinfully, then get up very very early in the morning and go pray. Sometimes, masturbation is a reaction to stress. I recommend exercise and lots of it.
As has already been suggested, daily Mass is a most wonderful way to keep the love of Christ within you.
God bless,
Dave
As has already been suggested, daily Mass is a most wonderful way to keep the love of Christ within you.
God bless,
Dave
I
itsjustdave1988
Guest
Oh yeah … for avoiding internet porn … pictures of loved ones, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph plastered all around your computer along with prayer cards. I also like the Virtual Rosary. When you are tempted on the computer, click on the Virtual Rosary link instead.
Virtual Rosary:
virtualrosary.org/
God bless,
Dave
Virtual Rosary:
virtualrosary.org/
God bless,
Dave
J
jco2004
Guest
Frequent prostrations and crossing oneself also help. Doing holy things with the body helps fight the inclination to do unholy things. Joe
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Scott_Waddell
Guest
One more: Contemplate the life of and ask for St. Maria Goretti’s prayers. Read about her here: Maria Goretti
And Mandi, great advice about seeing the Blessed Virgin in every woman. I never thought of that.
Scott
And Mandi, great advice about seeing the Blessed Virgin in every woman. I never thought of that.
Scott
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prodromos
Guest
Dear sporzcnter,
with a name like yours I assume you can appreciate thevalue of exercise and regular training that athletes perform so that when they compete, they are able to endure. If you enter a marathon without training, you will probably not even finish the race. If you compete in weight lifting without training, you won’t even get the barbells off the ground, and if you try your hand at wrestling or boxing without training, your opponent will have complete mastery over you.
It is exactly the same in our struggles against the passions. If we do not train ourselves to resist on a regular basis then we will be too weak to resist when the really strong temptations come along. Thankfully, the church provided the means to train ourselves to control our passions.
Through fasting.
Just as exercising parts of our body strengthens the whole, by exercising restraint in a number of the foods we enjoy eating, we increase our ability overall to resist our other fleshly desires.
Fasting was once a regular part of the Catholic faith which has unfortunately fallen by the wayside in recent times. I hope that trend is reversed in the near future as Catholics are missing out on a powerful weapon in the struggle against sin. In the Orthodox church we do not eat meat, eggs, dairy products, olive oil and wine every Wednesday and Friday (fish with skeletons are also considered to be meat). Wednesday, to remind ourselves of Judas’ betrayal so we can reflect on our own betrayal of Christ because of the many times we sin, and Friday because Christ was crucified on that day. I should also point out that we do not fast on Sunday because on that day Christ rose from the dead
There are many other fasts spread throughout the year, the most important of these being Lent where we eat no meat, milk etc for the entire 50 days leading up to Pascha. We have just begun the Apostle’s fast which ends on the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul and there will be a fast prior to the Dormition of the Theotokos, and a little later we have the nativity fast prior to Christmas. All in all, Orthodox christians should be fasting for approximately half of the year.
Just as we would suffer physical injury if we were to suddenly begin the gruelling training that an accomplished athlete performs, so too can we suffer both physical and spiritual harm if we attempt fasting beyond our current strength. So someone who is just beginning to fast regularly would only abstain from a few of the foods that others abstain from eating. This is usually determined by our spiritual father or confessor who is able to tailor the fast to our level of experience, health and a myriad of other factors (i.e. pregnant women need heaps of calcium from milk products etc.)
When I was in my early 20’s as an Evangelical christian, I too struggled with sexual sin and seemed powerless to overcome it, and it was then that I took Christ’s words to heart, “This kind can go out by nothing but by prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:29). The only kind of fasting I knew then was simply not eating at all, so that’s what I did for three days. The church I belonged to did not have any tradition of fasting so I was basically on my own, but happily God had mercy on this poor sinner and helped me to overcome my sinfulness. I wish I could say that I have never fallen into such sin again, but alas I cannot. What I can tell you is that it has never again been a pattern in my life and since becoming Orthodox a bit over a year ago, I am really starting to appreciate the spiritual benefits of regular fasting, plus that particular sin has not since reared its ugly head
I truly hope that the Catholic church will re-establish the regular fasting it once had because without it you are going into battle with only half of your armour. You may still survive, but consider how much stronger you could be with ALL of the weapons of the church at your disposal.
I hope this helps you in your struggle towards holiness.
God bless,
John
with a name like yours I assume you can appreciate thevalue of exercise and regular training that athletes perform so that when they compete, they are able to endure. If you enter a marathon without training, you will probably not even finish the race. If you compete in weight lifting without training, you won’t even get the barbells off the ground, and if you try your hand at wrestling or boxing without training, your opponent will have complete mastery over you.
It is exactly the same in our struggles against the passions. If we do not train ourselves to resist on a regular basis then we will be too weak to resist when the really strong temptations come along. Thankfully, the church provided the means to train ourselves to control our passions.
Through fasting.
Just as exercising parts of our body strengthens the whole, by exercising restraint in a number of the foods we enjoy eating, we increase our ability overall to resist our other fleshly desires.
Fasting was once a regular part of the Catholic faith which has unfortunately fallen by the wayside in recent times. I hope that trend is reversed in the near future as Catholics are missing out on a powerful weapon in the struggle against sin. In the Orthodox church we do not eat meat, eggs, dairy products, olive oil and wine every Wednesday and Friday (fish with skeletons are also considered to be meat). Wednesday, to remind ourselves of Judas’ betrayal so we can reflect on our own betrayal of Christ because of the many times we sin, and Friday because Christ was crucified on that day. I should also point out that we do not fast on Sunday because on that day Christ rose from the dead
There are many other fasts spread throughout the year, the most important of these being Lent where we eat no meat, milk etc for the entire 50 days leading up to Pascha. We have just begun the Apostle’s fast which ends on the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul and there will be a fast prior to the Dormition of the Theotokos, and a little later we have the nativity fast prior to Christmas. All in all, Orthodox christians should be fasting for approximately half of the year.Just as we would suffer physical injury if we were to suddenly begin the gruelling training that an accomplished athlete performs, so too can we suffer both physical and spiritual harm if we attempt fasting beyond our current strength. So someone who is just beginning to fast regularly would only abstain from a few of the foods that others abstain from eating. This is usually determined by our spiritual father or confessor who is able to tailor the fast to our level of experience, health and a myriad of other factors (i.e. pregnant women need heaps of calcium from milk products etc.)
When I was in my early 20’s as an Evangelical christian, I too struggled with sexual sin and seemed powerless to overcome it, and it was then that I took Christ’s words to heart, “This kind can go out by nothing but by prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:29). The only kind of fasting I knew then was simply not eating at all, so that’s what I did for three days. The church I belonged to did not have any tradition of fasting so I was basically on my own, but happily God had mercy on this poor sinner and helped me to overcome my sinfulness. I wish I could say that I have never fallen into such sin again, but alas I cannot. What I can tell you is that it has never again been a pattern in my life and since becoming Orthodox a bit over a year ago, I am really starting to appreciate the spiritual benefits of regular fasting, plus that particular sin has not since reared its ugly head
I truly hope that the Catholic church will re-establish the regular fasting it once had because without it you are going into battle with only half of your armour. You may still survive, but consider how much stronger you could be with ALL of the weapons of the church at your disposal.
I hope this helps you in your struggle towards holiness.
God bless,
John
D
Donmar35
Guest
Hey,
As someone who struggles with this I’ve found that frquent confession and less tv helps. I was so embarassed going to confession weekly. My record was going to confession before and after Mass because of lust.
It also helped to FINALLY realise that all the people I was fantasising about were PEOPLE. I’d say a prayer for them and pray to their guardian angel to guard and protect them. I’m not at all all where I’d like to be yet. It is a process and a cross and yes, it’s very difficult.
It’s all made me really appreciate God’s patience with us.
I hope this helps a little,
God bless,
Don
As someone who struggles with this I’ve found that frquent confession and less tv helps. I was so embarassed going to confession weekly. My record was going to confession before and after Mass because of lust.
It also helped to FINALLY realise that all the people I was fantasising about were PEOPLE. I’d say a prayer for them and pray to their guardian angel to guard and protect them. I’m not at all all where I’d like to be yet. It is a process and a cross and yes, it’s very difficult.
It’s all made me really appreciate God’s patience with us.
I hope this helps a little,
God bless,
Don
J
jaralenio
Guest
Selfishness, these sinful behaviors are all about self, pleasing ones self, only caring about self. How does one get past these temptations? Well Jesus said it best…**.“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matt 19:26. **You can’t do it by yourself, God has to be a Living inside you, and God lives inside you through channels of grace of the sacraments which His Holy Church provides, use them! Humbly pick up this cross and give it up to God knowing that I’m nothing without God. Keep praying, reading the Bible, going to Holy Mass and avoid anything which would even faintly bring these temptations back. Jesus says to avoid sins at all cost when he says in Mark 9:43-48 **"**And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. " See also Matt 18:
God Bless You
R
rubbersoul
Guest
I have also struggled with this. It actually took a priest that told me (after hearing me confess it more than once) that I really needed to try harder to stop this behavior. I left the confessional feeling very dissapointed in myself becuase the priest seemed dissapointed in me (kind of a tough love thing). Can’t say that I have not fallen into it again, but it is certainly less frequent. SOmetimes the embarrasment of having to tell another human being about it helps me to avoid it.
I’ve tried praying the rosary, asking Jesus to help me when temptation occurs. I recently fell and confessed it again and am trying to be strong. Now I mentally scream at the devil when the temptation comes. I say something like “In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord, I command you to leave my thoughts, you foul and completely unappealing creature. You cannot defeat me as long as my Lord is with me, for with Him I am stronger than you.” and I try to mentally laugh at him (the devil).
Also came to the conclusion that TV was a major stumbling block. A girl in a bikini is enough to get impure thoughts flowing. I try to avoid shows with these types of situations (stay on EWTN as much as possible). Would like to get rid of cable all together, but I don’t think my wife is on the same page.
On the internet I have not been to a porn site for quite a while. I occupy my time online by looking at Catholic sites like this one. It helps to keep my mind on the ultimate goal which is to die for and with or Lord. I listen to my friends at bar b que’s etc talk about certain sites that they visit regularly and I know that I am making progress because I am now appalled by the fact that they don’t see a problem with this behavior (especially as married men). I do not preach to them because I know from expreience it will do no good (and many of them have very good debating skills). I find less and less fun going to these funtions these days because I do not want to get back on that road of living for the minute. Been there, done that, not proud of it when I look back. My poor soul is stained from many sins of the past. I will suffer long for my transgressions.
Anyway, this has been theraputic. We need to keep topics like this going as a sort of support group. I think it is healthy. In a way, we are following James 5:16 (I think that’s right) where we are told to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we might heal.
Please pray for me. I will do the same for all of you.
God Bless
Chad
I’ve tried praying the rosary, asking Jesus to help me when temptation occurs. I recently fell and confessed it again and am trying to be strong. Now I mentally scream at the devil when the temptation comes. I say something like “In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord, I command you to leave my thoughts, you foul and completely unappealing creature. You cannot defeat me as long as my Lord is with me, for with Him I am stronger than you.” and I try to mentally laugh at him (the devil).
Also came to the conclusion that TV was a major stumbling block. A girl in a bikini is enough to get impure thoughts flowing. I try to avoid shows with these types of situations (stay on EWTN as much as possible). Would like to get rid of cable all together, but I don’t think my wife is on the same page.
On the internet I have not been to a porn site for quite a while. I occupy my time online by looking at Catholic sites like this one. It helps to keep my mind on the ultimate goal which is to die for and with or Lord. I listen to my friends at bar b que’s etc talk about certain sites that they visit regularly and I know that I am making progress because I am now appalled by the fact that they don’t see a problem with this behavior (especially as married men). I do not preach to them because I know from expreience it will do no good (and many of them have very good debating skills). I find less and less fun going to these funtions these days because I do not want to get back on that road of living for the minute. Been there, done that, not proud of it when I look back. My poor soul is stained from many sins of the past. I will suffer long for my transgressions.
Anyway, this has been theraputic. We need to keep topics like this going as a sort of support group. I think it is healthy. In a way, we are following James 5:16 (I think that’s right) where we are told to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we might heal.
Please pray for me. I will do the same for all of you.
God Bless
Chad
N
NDIrish
Guest
Whenever you feel yourself starting to be tempted, stop, trun away from your computer screen (or whatever is tempting you), and say some Hail Mary’s. Really concentrate on the prayer too…
The Blessed Virgin and pornography are incompatable This should give you the strength to turn away from whatever it is that’s tempting you…
The Blessed Virgin and pornography are incompatable
This should give you the strength to turn away from whatever it is that’s tempting you…- Status