Is it really "natural"...To stop masturbating?

[Pfeffer102]

Hi. It’s my first post. And it’s probably going to be my only post; I made this account specifically for this one question.

I’m a 17 year old kid. I have been looking at past forums dealing with the topic for over 2 hours now. And a lot of time was spent on it yesterday, too. There were many successes of people that have gone months, and even years, but mostly were those that “fell” every couple weeks or so, and that just led them straight back into mortal sin.
The thing is, how can somebody possibly stop this, once and for all? To be honest…I don’t think I could. The sad part is…I don’t think I’d want to. I just a couple days ago learned that it is a grave sin, and I couldn’t believe it. I was in shock. But I haven’t done it since, so I’m still good.
Well, my question is, is it natural to stop? Seriously…Like, everybody does it. Everybody. Except for those select few that are SO close to God that they have no need for it. Not that anybody has any need for it, but it does help to relieve stress…
Another question, that goes along with what I said before (everybody does it…), how do so many people get the Eucharist? If it is a mortal sin, and you can’t get the Eucharist in a state of not-grace, how on earth do so many people go up there? ALL of those people can’t seriously not do it. Right? Am I right in assuming that? I guess, it’s possible that they all went to confession in that same week, but how unlikely is that.
I just really need some answers here, because now that I know it’s a mortal sin…I feel like, I’m never going to be able to get Communion again. <=( Maybe I’ll be good for this week, and the week after, but I KNOW I’ll fall eventually. Hopefully with God’s help, I won’t, but…There just seems to be no way of completely stopping.

Thanks in advance to anyone that responds. Any (name removed by moderator)ut…would be appreciated.

 

[06convert]

Well, lets see, where do I start.

First of all, we are all sinners. We all do something sooner or later that hurts our soul and our spirituality. Sometimes we do something gravely wrong and end up living in mortal sin. Not a good feeling. When we do, we go to confession. God gave us this great sacrament of healing to help us when we fall.

If you struggle with masturbation, it’s likely this will be a struggle for many years. This is a cross that God has given you. You have to take up your cross and try to do the right thing. Always fight the temptation to do evil. You may see it as a stress reliever, but look at it as a helping of guilt and evil. Relieve stress in a positive way, go exercise, or clean, do laundry. Avoid the situations that cause you to end up thinking about or performing masturbation.

It’s hard not to look at others and wonder what state their soul is in when they go to communion. But as hard as it is. We can’t judge and we have to assume these people either don’t masturbate, or went to confession. Or are sadly ignorant that what they are doing is a mortal sin. See it as a blessing from God that you see the truth when some others do not.

You have heard the old cliche that goes, “just because everyone is doing it doesn’t make it right”, or the other one “stand up for what is right, even if you are standing alone”. As corny as those may sound, they are true here.

Lastly you asked if it was natural to stop. The only answer I have for this. Is that it is NOT natural to do it in the first place.

Good luck, be aware that this will be a struggle. Prepare yourself for the fight. God is on your side. Pray for His help. Pray to your guardian angel to keep you away from the situations in which your thoughts and actions become impure. Remember and appreciate what Jesus has done for you. Try to do good and if you fall (hopefully you wont) get into confession.

Thoughts, prayers, and the peace of Christ be with you.

 

[kage_ar]

You have to ask yourself a direct question, do you REALLY believe in God and that He created the universe and all of creation? If you do, if you honestly beleive that then KNOW that the natural thing for you to do is to avoid sin.

Sin is not part of the original design, in fact - sin is unnatural!

So, when you look at sin for what it really is - and masturbation is sin, ( BTW I am sorry that your parents, CCD teachers, Priest, youth ministers, godparents, all failed in teaching this to you - ) then you know that the natural thing is NOT to do it.

Don’t fall into the “everybody does it” trap. That is satan talking.

Pick up a copy of “The Screwtape Letters”.

Pray, avoid sin, seek frequent confession.

 

[eichenb2]

Hi. It’s my first post. And it’s probably going to be my only post; I made this account specifically for this one question.

I’m a 17 year old kid. I have been looking at past forums dealing with the topic for over 2 hours now. And a lot of time was spent on it yesterday, too. There were many successes of people that have gone months, and even years, but mostly were those that “fell” every couple weeks or so, and that just led them straight back into mortal sin.
The thing is, how can somebody possibly stop this, once and for all? To be honest…I don’t think I could. The sad part is…I don’t think I’d want to. I just a couple days ago learned that it is a grave sin, and I couldn’t believe it. I was in shock. But I haven’t done it since, so I’m still good.
Well, my question is, is it natural to stop? Seriously…Like, everybody does it. Everybody. Except for those select few that are SO close to God that they have no need for it. Not that anybody has any need for it, but it does help to relieve stress…
Another question, that goes along with what I said before (everybody does it…), how do so many people get the Eucharist? If it is a mortal sin, and you can’t get the Eucharist in a state of not-grace, how on earth do so many people go up there? ALL of those people can’t seriously not do it. Right? Am I right in assuming that? I guess, it’s possible that they all went to confession in that same week, but how unlikely is that.
I just really need some answers here, because now that I know it’s a mortal sin…I feel like, I’m never going to be able to get Communion again. <=( Maybe I’ll be good for this week, and the week after, but I KNOW I’ll fall eventually. Hopefully with God’s help, I won’t, but…There just seems to be no way of completely stopping.

Thanks in advance to anyone that responds. Any (name removed by moderator)ut…would be appreciated.

I am not sure is it is “natural”, but it certainly is holy, just, and righteous to stop masterbating.

 

[Joe_5859]

It is unnecessary to contemplate the percentage of people that do or do not masturbate. That has no bearing on whether or not the act is a sin.

With all the wonderful developmental things going on inside of you as a teenager (), I can see how it might seem to you now that it would be impossible to stop, but it is indeed possible, and God is calling you to stop. It doesn’t mean it will be easy for you. It doesn’t mean you will never fail. But we don’t stop trying simply because we think we’re probably going to fail. Such a self-defeatist attitude will surely get us nowhere.

God is calling all of us to holiness. Holiness is not just for the “select few” people like Mother Teresa or the Pope. Holiness is for everyone. And part of growing in holiness is rooting sin out of our lives. This doesn’t happen overnight, but it is something we must earnestly desire and work towards.

 

[Whitacre_Girl]

I’m afraid my answer isn’t one you may want to hear, and several others will argue me on it…but here I go anyway.

No. It is not natural to stop. Masturbation is sexual immorality and is a sin of the flesh. Our flesh has a sinful nature to it that we do struggle against. It is because we have a spirit given by God breathed in to us, we are called to be set apart from the animals and our flesh and live in a way contrary to what to body desires. It is not part of our natural composition to stop, but because of the spirit God has given us, we are supposed to. If we were mere animals it may be acceptable, but we are not. We are called to higher living.

I remember many years ago when I first heard masturbation was a sin, and I struggled to stop for a long, long time (that’s right, even GIRLS struggle!) But I am overcoming it. Yes, there are occasional mess ups, but that is what the confessional is for. God understands that we fail, that’s why he sent Christ. But we also have to fight. It’s also harder for you right now because of your age. I know you are probably tiring of hearing that, but its true. As you age, things will settle down and it will be easier. Pray, go to mass, and go to confession regularly. I know it doesn’t seem like you’ll ever get a hold on it, but you WILL if you keep fighting and seek God. I promise!

 

[KephasAugustine]

I hate to be a bubble-buster, but whether it is “natural” or not really isn’t the point.

Christ calls us to holiness, not mediocrity. We are men, not beasts, and “natural” has little to do with it. We have been given a supernatural call, to know God and to love Him, and to rise above these worldly norms. Masturbation is a perversion of sex, one of the greatest gifts given to us by God, just as pornography, fornication, and adultery are perversions. Saving sex until marriage is “unnatural” in that we do not see this in “nature,” but we are called to a lifestyle that is far above “natural” in dignity.

Nature did not invent sex. Sex was given to us by God and sex is good; it is one of the most beautiful ways God has given us to express love. But when the gift is so good, the devil warps it all the more. When Satan sees such a lofty good as sex, he takes every opportunity to seduce us into misusing it. If I were holding a gun, it would be “natural” to shoot it, but I know the purpose of the gun and wouldn’t go around shooting it off all the time. In the same way, when we learn about sex and the purpose of intercourse, the dignity of the human person, the reason for and importance of sexual organs, we know better than to just “shoot it off” all the time (excuse the crude analogy). We only desire to use it in the way for which it was intended to be used.

I recommend that you read Theology of the Body for Beginners for a basic introduction to the beauty of sex. There is nothing natural about masturbation; the fact that “everyone does it” is nothing more than evidence of Satan’s power and influence as the ruler of this world. The greatest trick of the devil was making us believe he doesn’t exist.

And, if you’ll allow a small general rant (not applied to you personally), using “it’s natural” is just ludicrous. In nature, are there houses? Are clothes worn by any other animal? Do they relieve themselves in bathrooms behind locked doors? Are there condoms, medicine, deodorant, perfume, etc…? Most of what humans do is far from “natural,” but we only go to the “nature” excuse when rationalizing sin.

Your humble servant.

 

[Pfeffer102]

I’m replying to the person right above me, where he/she mentioned waiting until marriage for sex.

Well guess what? I’m gay, and the church just happens to condemn that too.

So I guess I’m supposed to never do anything, live alone, and stay indoors and watch SpongeBob all my life. Sounds grrrreat.

We only desire to use it in the way for which it was intended to be used.

Yes, except if you don’t get to use it at all. Ever. So think about that.

 

[tjm190]

A great deal of people don’t accept the Church’s infallibility, and as such they would not see such a thing as rendering the unable to receive communion.

@kephas- the natural argument is most generally used as a counter for the ‘XXX is UNnatural’ argument.

 

[tjm190]

I’m replying to the person right above me, where he/she mentioned waiting until marriage for sex.

Well guess what? I’m gay, and the church just happens to condemn that too.

So I guess I’m supposed to never do anything, live alone, and stay indoors and watch SpongeBob all my life. Sounds grrrreat.

Who doesn’t love Spongebob?

 

[yahoo1225]

I’m replying to the person right above me, where he/she mentioned waiting until marriage for sex.

Well guess what? I’m gay, and the church just happens to condemn that too.

So I guess I’m supposed to never do anything, live alone, and stay indoors and watch SpongeBob all my life. Sounds grrrreat.

Yes, except if you don’t get to use it at all. Ever. So think about that.

The Church does not condemn being gay. It just condemns gay sex. I don’t know how you got the idea that the Church doesn’t want you to do anything, but that’s incorrect information. Rumors about the Church are flying around everywhere, don’t believe them. There are actually Catholic support groups for gay people in some areas to help gays to live Catholic lives while being gay.

Catholic priests and religious don’t get to have sexual pleasure at all. Ever. Jesus never had it. Mother Terera and countless other healthy, good people in the world never had it. What’s wrong with that?

I agree with Kephas all the way. Natural/unnatural is not the point.

 

[GeorgeSword]

What does it profit a man to have all the joys of this world, pleasure, money, perhaps even love, if he looses his soul for eternity? Our lifetime on this earth is nothing compared to how long we last. Think about eternity. Forever. A thousand years for every grain of sand on the earth, a thousand for ever leaf, a thousand for ever atom. That is a long time. Then look at your life here. Eighty years, give or take a little, if you’re lucky, isn’t much compared to that, is it? So we have a choice. We can have this life on earth filled to the brim with guilty pleasures, and the greater part of our existence filled with horrible pain and anguish, or perhaps we can do the best we can, live the best life we can, on this earth, and spend eternity in bliss with God. It’s our choice - it’s your choice.
I’m not going to talk down to you. I understand it can be hard to stop, I’m trying to do the same thing you are. We just have to keep picking ourselves up when we fall, and trying harder and harder. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the battle of our purity won’t be won in a day. It may go on all of our lives, but as Paul writes, we fight the good fight. It’s not going to be a cherry picked road full of joy, it may be hard sometimes, but it’s well worth it. We don’t hop on the train of every popular movement, they may even call us backwards, but what is it to be like them, if we loose our soul? What is it to be ‘loving’ and accepting to the sins of others, if we loose our soul? It’s hardly loving for us to approve of the sins of man. If we are ‘nice’ to them and tell them it’s okay and to go on, and they go to hell over it, we have hardly done a nice thing for them, have we?
You must persevere through prayer. Through Christ, anything can and will be accomplished. Read the Scriptures, pray, and go to Mass. That will make things a whole lot easier. Keep God on your mind and in your heart at all times.
So, is this sin, is sex worth it? Hardly.
You don’t have to live a lonely life. Look at our priests. They do not marry, either. But they are not friendless, are they? Sex isn’t everything. We can have relationships without it. We can have friendships without it. We can have joy without it, too, if we only try.

 

[EmeraldWings]

well, then maybe your best bet is to really learn to know and love God,

you may feel like it’s impossible to stop or change, but there have been many, far worse then you, who have made a complete turn around from their sinful and impure lifestyle, some of the great saints even.
take me for example, i struggled with impurity for a very long time, my earliest memory of doing impure things was when i was 3…i only found out the seriousness of what i was doing when i reached my teen years,
ever since i found out it was wrong, i tried stopping, but i didn’t really know how to, but as time went on, i looked for the answers, i tried to take advice from the saints by reading their lives and their writings, the main things they practiced to overcome impurity(among other things) was penance, fasting, mortification, use of the sacraments, confession, and prayer,
it took a long time, and i think the hardest thing of all was confession, but i think that was also what helped me the most, because each time i had to confess those sins, i felt so ashamed and dreaded having to tell them so much that i would remind myself when i felt tempted “if you do this you’ll have to confess again!”
and as time went by i committed those sins less and less, and right now…i can’t even remember the last time i committed an act of impurity, it’s been years,
and also since then, i’ve continued practicing my chastity, i’ve even managed to stop from letting myself have impure thoughts and desires,

so, it can be done, it just takes time and effort,
i know you don’t even want to give up these things now, but just ask yourself, what’s more important? being happy in this life, or in the next?
or you could think of it the opposite way, would you rather suffer in this life, or the next?
one of the secrets of the saints success was, they always had death before their eyes, it kept them focused and made it much easier to resist temptations,
they also pictured Jesus crucified when they were tempted, and they never hesitated to ask heaven for help.

i think you would benefit from reading the lives and writings of the saints, which you can find alot of on www.tanbooks.com
also, try reading this -
columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/chastity.html

i know it seems so hard and so far away right now, i use to feel so hopeless when i was going threw this, but you *can *do it, nothing is impossible, you just need to ask for Gods help, He says “Ask and you shall receive” so you need to ask, every day and often, the more you ask the more likely God is to grant your request…but i am sure He would not hesitate to send you all the graces you need to overcome your sins,
if you need motivation, then read the life of Jesus, learn to love Him, learn about how much He loves you,
we are here on this earth to learn, to learn to love and to choose, and to earn our place in heaven, but you have to reach for it, it won’t be handed to you, so if you have no motivation now, pray for it,
and if you think these feelings you get from your fleshy pleasures are so great, you ain’t seen nothin yet,
nothing can compare to the closeness you feel with God, you can’t imagine it…it’s only something God can give you when you are ready,
you are capable of doing everything you can imagine, you could be a great saint if you devoted yourself to it…well…i guess i’m getting off subject here…but maybe that will motivate you somehow…

ok, that’s all for now i guess, i’ll be praying for you, tc.

 

[Pfeffer102]

What does it profit a man to have all the joys of this world, pleasure, money, perhaps even love, if he looses his soul for eternity? Our lifetime on this earth is nothing compared to how long we last. Think about eternity. Forever. A thousand years for every grain of sand on the earth, a thousand for ever leaf, a thousand for ever atom. That is a long time. Then look at your life here. Eighty years, give or take a little, if you’re lucky, isn’t much compared to that, is it? So we have a choice. We can have this life on earth filled to the brim with guilty pleasures, and the greater part of our existence filled with horrible pain and anguish, or perhaps we can do the best we can, live the best life we can, on this earth, and spend eternity in bliss with God. It’s our choice - it’s your choice.
I’m not going to talk down to you. I understand it can be hard to stop, I’m trying to do the same thing you are. We just have to keep picking ourselves up when we fall, and trying harder and harder. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the battle of our purity won’t be won in a day. It may go on all of our lives, but as Paul writes, we fight the good fight. It’s not going to be a cherry picked road full of joy, it may be hard sometimes, but it’s well worth it. We don’t hop on the train of every popular movement, they may even call us backwards, but what is it to be like them, if we loose our soul? What is it to be ‘loving’ and accepting to the sins of others, if we loose our soul? It’s hardly loving for us to approve of the sins of man. If we are ‘nice’ to them and tell them it’s okay and to go on, and they go to hell over it, we have hardly done a nice thing for them, have we?
You must persevere through prayer. Through Christ, anything can and will be accomplished. Read the Scriptures, pray, and go to Mass. That will make things a whole lot easier. Keep God on your mind and in your heart at all times.
So, is this sin, is sex worth it? Hardly.
You don’t have to live a lonely life. Look at our priests. They do not marry, either. But they are not friendless, are they? Sex isn’t everything. We can have relationships without it. We can have friendships without it. We can have joy without it, too, if we only try.

Wow…Where do I begin. I see this thread taking a different direction…So let’s start with this.

What does it profit a man to have all the joys of this world, pleasure, money, perhaps even love, if he looses his soul for eternity?

So, are you saying that every divorced Catholic that gets remarried, and is living a complete, impure lifestyle…goes to hell? That is a looooot of people.

And now this.

You don’t have to live a lonely life. Look at our priests. They do not marry, either. But they are not friendless, are they? Sex isn’t everything. We can have relationships without it. We can have friendships without it. We can have joy without it, too, if we only try.

Yes. But priests choose to live that lifestyle. Priests choose to live alone, without a lifelong companion (Let’s just call it a wife). I didn’t choose this. I didn’t choose to be gay. So I’m basically doomed to live a completely sexless life? Yeah, I’ll just be open and honest, I’m calling it doomed. And I don’t really want to hear anyone shun me for calling it that, unless they’re gay, or for some other reason cannot have sex.

if we only try.

Yeah, but trying isn’t really good enough, is it.

 

[doughnut]

So I guess I’m supposed to never do anything, live alone, and stay indoors and watch SpongeBob all my life. Sounds grrrreat.

Yes, except if you don’t get to use it at all. Ever. So think about that.

i dont have a problem with ‘not gonna ever use it’, and that does not equate ‘living alone’ either.

and not ‘everybody else’ does it, for your information.

 

[GeorgeSword]

Wow…Where do I begin. I see this thread taking a different direction…So let’s start with this.

So, are you saying that every divorced Catholic that gets remarried, and is living a complete, impure lifestyle…goes to hell? That is a looooot of people.

Christ said follow the Narrow Path, not the Wide. This means that we must go not the easy way, which most choose, but the hard way, which few choose. It is sad, but the truth is that the majority falls short. You can’t just go to Mass once a week, confession every month and not really care and think you’re going to get to heaven. You have to live this life. It may not be easy, but it’s well worth it.
Now this Catholic in question… Christ’s mercy is unlimited, but He condemned such things particularly. If a man or woman lives an impure lifestyle, knowing what they are doing is wrong, and does not repent, then it is in His hands entirely.

Yes. But priests choose to live that lifestyle. Priests choose to live alone, without a lifelong companion (Let’s just call it a wife). I didn’t choose this. I didn’t choose to be gay. So I’m basically doomed to live a completely sexless life? Yeah, I’ll just be open and honest, I’m calling it doomed. And I don’t really want to hear anyone shun me for calling it that, unless they’re gay, or for some other reason cannot have sex.

Christ also said pick up your cross and follow Him. This means that we all have problems, and we all must suffer one way or another. It means that, as above, the road is not easy, and by choosing to follow Him, we are choosing the hard way, not the easy. We do not get to choose our temptations. I do not get up every morning and pick what temptations I will receive, nor did I pick them when I was born.
He will not let us be tempted with something we cannot bear. Because our ancestors sinned, we carry this stain, and Satan tries desperately to pull us into hell with him. But God will not let him do this without giving us first the choice to follow Him. It is in your hands, and my fate is in mine. You have what it takes to resist this.
And you heard that right. Being tempted with homosexual desires, nothing is wrong with that. It is just a temptation, like any other. When you choose to carry out these desires, it becomes a sin. Hence, I do not view someone who is tempted with homosexuality as gay. There really isn’t such a thing as someone who is gay without choice. I’m not sure if I am making any sense, do not get me wrong. What I mean to say is, it is a temptation, and there are those who succumb to it and those who resist it. I don’t get up and say, “I am a pornograph” because I am tempted with that sin, even when I fulfill it, and someone tempted with homosexuality ought not to get up and say they are homosexual because they face this temptation and allow it to continue. It is no different than any other sin. It can be resisted.
Again, I ask you, what is sex worth, if we suffer for it, for eternity?

 

[Inwe86]

I’m a 17 year old kid. I have been looking at past forums dealing with the topic for over 2 hours now. And a lot of time was spent on it yesterday, too. There were many successes of people that have gone months, and even years, but mostly were those that “fell” every couple weeks or so, and that just led them straight back into mortal sin.
The thing is, how can somebody possibly stop this, once and for all? To be honest…I don’t think I could. The sad part is…I don’t think I’d want to. I just a couple days ago learned that it is a grave sin, and I couldn’t believe it. I was in shock. But I haven’t done it since, so I’m still good.
Well, my question is, is it natural to stop? Seriously…Like, everybody does it. Everybody. Except for those select few that are SO close to God that they have no need for it. Not that anybody has any need for it, but it does help to relieve stress…
Another question, that goes along with what I said before (everybody does it…), how do so many people get the Eucharist? If it is a mortal sin, and you can’t get the Eucharist in a state of not-grace, how on earth do so many people go up there? ALL of those people can’t seriously not do it. Right? Am I right in assuming that? I guess, it’s possible that they all went to confession in that same week, but how unlikely is that.
I just really need some answers here, because now that I know it’s a mortal sin…I feel like, I’m never going to be able to get Communion again. <=( Maybe I’ll be good for this week, and the week after, but I KNOW I’ll fall eventually. Hopefully with God’s help, I won’t, but…There just seems to be no way of completely stopping.

I actually just posted something about a week ago asking if it’s possible to give up the habit. I’m 23 - I’ve been doing it since I was about 9 years old, and I’ve struggled ever since. It’s a tough battle. Once it becomes a habit, it’s really hard to stop - but I think it is possible. Especially after reading all of the replies I received. I see that there are a lot of people who used to do it but overcame it.

It’s been 11 days since I last fell - but I went 17 days before that. I have made a lot of changes in these past 11 days. I tripled my prayer life (I say the Divine Office, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and the rosary daily), I spend more time in eucharistic adoration, and I’ve also been reading about hell and exorcisms when I’m tempted. This seems to be helping. I’d also recommend a lot of exercise as this helps to release tension and stress.

Don’t beat yourself up if you do fall - we all fall, which is why there’s confession. Even if you know you’re probably going to fall, still go to confession and communion. Without the sacramental graces there’s no way you can break the habit. I can’t guarantee that I won’t fall, but I’m really trying hard not to.

Also, watch out for anything the stimulates you (movies, TV, music, etc.). It certainly doesn’t help that we’re all bombarded with sexual images.

I’ll keep you in my prayers (please say a prayer for me too!)

 

[Pfeffer102]

GeorgeSword, that did really inspire me. We truly don’t get to choose our temptations, and I just happen to get this one. The majority of that really helped me.

But THIS:

There really isn’t such a thing as someone who is gay without choice.

THAT just leads me to believe that you are close-minded and, frankly, stupid. It is 100% not a choice, and I would have liked to see you the one being gay and being on the complete other side of the fence on this matter.
If you had to lead a completely solitary life, living alone, no lifelong companion…could you do it?
Sorry for being so brutal…But I just had to say that. It angers me when people say it’s a choice.

I actually just posted something about a week ago asking if it’s possible to give up the habit. I’m 23 - I’ve been doing it since I was about 9 years old, and I’ve struggled ever since. It’s a tough battle. Once it becomes a habit, it’s really hard to stop - but I think it is possible. Especially after reading all of the replies I received. I see that there are a lot of people who used to do it but overcame it.

It’s been 11 days since I last fell - but I went 17 days before that. I have made a lot of changes in these past 11 days. I tripled my prayer life (I say the Divine Office, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and the rosary daily), I spend more time in eucharistic adoration, and I’ve also been reading about hell and exorcisms when I’m tempted. This seems to be helping. I’d also recommend a lot of exercise as this helps to release tension and stress.

Don’t beat yourself up if you do fall - we all fall, which is why there’s confession. Even if you know you’re probably going to fall, still go to confession and communion. Without the sacramental graces there’s no way you can break the habit. I can’t guarantee that I won’t fall, but I’m really trying hard not to.

Also, watch out for anything the stimulates you (movies, TV, music, etc.). It certainly doesn’t help that we’re all bombarded with sexual images.

I’ll keep you in my prayers (please say a prayer for me too!)

And to you, Inwe86, thank you so much for the encouragement! I think you’re the one that helped me the most so far. So thanks, dude.
So…When you do fall (you said it was 11 days), do you go to confession every time? I suppose you do, but I guess you could also choose not to receive communion that week…I don’t know. I’m not sure about that part. I don’t drive yet, so I don’t know when I’d make it up to confession if I did fall…

But I’ll definitely remember to pray for you tonight! Well. Right now. It’s bed time for me.
4 days though. Seems like a lot, considering I used to, like, 3 times a day…But 4 days is…4 days.

 

[Inwe86]

And to you, Inwe86, thank you so much for the encouragement! I think you’re the one that helped me the most so far. So thanks, dude.
So…When you do fall (you said it was 11 days), do you go to confession every time? I suppose you do, but I guess you could also choose not to receive communion that week…I don’t know. I’m not sure about that part. I don’t drive yet, so I don’t know when I’d make it up to confession if I did fall…

I’m glad my reply helped

I usually go to confession as soon as I can, but not always. Sometimes I wait until I can’t take living in the state of mortal sin anymore because I’m so embarrassed and frustrated, but this can be dangerous for the soul. If you do slip and can’t make it to confession, say an act of contrition and try to avoid sinning again, but just don’t receive communion until you confess

Thanks for the prayer!

 

[FiberZilla]

No, it is not *natural *to stop. We are sinners, all of us.

Is it possible to stop? Yes! But only through the grace of God.

Will there be slip ups? My opinion is yes, there will be occasional falls because of this unredeemed flesh that we must live in. The majority of people will sin in this way at one time or another long after they thought they had this problem behind them.

Young single adults and teens will have the most difficult time without a doubt. Whenever you sin in this way or any other way regarding purity, head directly to Psalm 51. It is awesome!