Masturbation question

[FindTruth7]

New problems in other areas of your life?! I can only hope that and pray that marriage will be a blessing! I hope to get married one day and do look forward to it.

Hi friend I know how hard it is, Oh man do I know!!! And…it makes you feel dirty doesn’t it? It does me. Well, now it does, because I feel shameful before God when I do it, or the **** on the internet I’m drawn too. In fact, I am going to confession tomorrow because of masterbation, and a few other sins I seek to be forgiven for.

Stick with Confession, pour your heart out to God in there when talking with the priest, and you’ll be given grace and forgivness. And keep pushing forward.

For me, the more I hang with non-believers, or watch “certain” movies, the more I fall into masterbation. But the more time I spend with my family and believers,and at Mass, the less it has hold on me.

God bless you

 

[persuit2bhappy]

Hi friend I know how hard it is, Oh man do I know!!! And…it makes you feel dirty doesn’t it? It does me. Well, now it does, because I feel shameful before God when I do it, or the **** on the internet I’m drawn too.

It is a hard one to overcome, but I’ve found all of my lifes problems somehow relate back to this. In order to move on in life, I have to just keep blocking it. For myself, attending church and going to confession helps.

Thanks for your help, I pray that you shall overcome it too.

 

[lofktis14kr]

For me, the more I hang with non-believers, or watch “certain” movies, the more I fall into masterbation. But the more time I spend with my family and believers,and at Mass, the less it has hold on me.

That is right. If we are going to live a life worthy of the calling with which we were called, then we need to separate ourselves from the damning influence of unbelievers, and nip lust in the bud. “Sexual immorality and all uncleaness or covetousness must not even be named among you as is proper for the saints.”(Eph. 5:3)

 

[fbl9]

wouldn’t it be grand if we could just chop it off then when we actually needed it just do up a zipper or such and presto ready to go…but that would be too easy,no we have to(like many others have said) hang in there and keep getting back up into the race whenever we fall…

 

[lofktis14kr]

There are men who have castrated themselves, believing that it would help them. But of course it did not. When Jesus said, “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out!”, He was addressing an issue of the heart.

Jesus was not saying the problem is with our eyes or our penis for that matter. The problem is our sinful heart, as Jesus said in the verse just prior to that mentioned above, “I say to you that any man that looks upon a woman to lust after her has commited adultery with her already in his heart.” Removing eyeballs, or eliminating testosterone doesn’t remove lust (which is covetousness; Rom. 7:7)
The only thing that removes lust is the gracious work of God to sanctify and renew our hearts and enable us to honor God like Job did, “I have made a covenant with my eyes, that I will not look upon a maiden.”

 

[fbl9]

There are men who have castrated themselves, believing that it would help them. But of course it did not. When Jesus said, “If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out!”, He was addressing an issue of the heart.

Jesus was not saying the problem is with our eyes or our penis for that matter. The problem is our sinful heart, as Jesus said in the verse just prior to that mentioned above, “I say to you that any man that looks upon a woman to lust after her has commited adultery with her already in his heart.” Removing eyeballs, or eliminating testosterone doesn’t remove lust (which is covetousness; Rom. 7:7)
The only thing that removes lust is the gracious work of God to sanctify and renew our hearts and enable us to honor God like Job did, “I have made a covenant with my eyes, that I will not look upon a maiden.”

yeah i figured that much (in regards to the remove idea)just one question how come some days/weeks are way easy to be “pure” then all of a sudden it hits one like a ton of bricks…i have my good times then desire/lust comes upon me and it sometimes seems God just isn’t there helping me anymore,

 

[lofktis14kr]

There are many secularists who would like to give their godless opinions on that matter, but only the Scriptures can answer that question correctly.

God tests us. He does so for at least two reasons. First He tests us to show what is in our hearts. Grace and corruption lie deep in the heart and we are often decieved as to what is really there. Trials are His instruments that can dig right to the bottom and draw it out of us. In Gen 22, we see God testing Abraham. Abraham didn’t realize what vigor was in His faith until God drew it out by that test. In 2 Chron. 32, God tested Hezekiah, but the account says that God left him. And in that case, the corruption of pride was shown. Hezekiah did not realize he had such a proud heart until God revealed it and poured it out before him.

A second reason He tests us is to show our need of His grace. Until we are tested, we think we are living on our own strength. But God alone is the one who keeps us from falling. In Gen. 20, God told Abimelech that He withheld him from sinning. God prevented him from sinning. This has been called God’s preserving grace.
God also reveals to us His renewing grace. Paul, in his prayer from the thorn in his flesh prayed that God might remove it, but God told him, "No, my grace is renewed,(or perfected, or completed) in your weakness."2 Cor. 12:9. We don’t realize the power God puts forth on our behalf, until we compare our trials with our weakness. God’s power and grace are then clearly seen in our lives. We need to be tried in order in to realize the glory of being preserved.

James tells us that we are tempted when we are drawn away and enticed by lust. Lust may end in masterbation, but that doesn’t mean that is where it started. It starts in the heart, our will versus God’s will. Also, when you find that lust is provoked, ask yourself how it happened. As you find yourself drawn away by lust, James exhortation is to draw near to God again.(chapter 4)

Beware of the consequences of not drawing near to God. In Romans 1:24-32, Paul warns of the nature of lust that it is like an insatiable fire. When we gratify it, we haven’t put it out, we’ve only fed it. And so long as we keep feeding lust, it’s influence to draw us away from God grows stronger and more powerful.
That text focuses on God as the first cause of our sin as Paul says three times, “God gave them over…” God let’s us go. It’s not as if he’s lost His grasp on us, rather it’s more like he’s let go of the restriant He had upon us. Like was in the case of Hezekiah. Like an undisciplined dog taken for a walk wants to chase after everything which crosses his path, God finally says to us, “you want it that bad? Go and get it, and fall deeper into your corruption.” It’s part of His justice on us for our love for the forbidden.

But again that is from God’s standpoint. From our standpoint, we give ourselves over. Eph, 4:19, “being past feeling they gave themselves over…” In the Greek, apelgeo: apathetic, past feeling. We sin because we don’t care. So therin lies part of our problem, my friend. Yes, we have hormones, but we lack care. We need to draw near to God through Christ.

Part of drawing near to Him is obviously through prayer. All that I’ve written so far may seem irrelevant to some regarding our responsibility, but it is very relevant. It is relevant enough that God reveals it to us. Our knowledge that God is in control of all these things should help us in our prayers. Does it really make sense that we should ask God to give us victory over our sin if we believe that He isn’t even in control of our sin? Or that He deliver us from temptation or harm?

I hope this helps you. I realize I may have raised some issues in your mind regarding God’s involvment in our sin, but search these things out and pray for wisdom. It will come, and as you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you. So long as you come with all your sin and ugliness and plead the merits of Christ to make you stand faultless before Him, you will be accepted in the Beloved.

 

[persuit2bhappy]

I believe what I have been going though is my biggest test from God that I’ve had to face. I havn’t been coping too well throughout the last week unfortuantely, when I found out there was more evidence that high amounts of mb decreases total prostate cancer.
I am yet to move on away from those results, whether its based on medical facts or not. It haunts my mind at the moment, and I need God to help me get through this. I do know however that frequencies of mb in general, is not related to the increased risk of prostate cancer, so thats good.

I believe what you wrote above is completely relevent and thought provoking. I ask that you keep me in your prayers to get through this.
It’s more or less created an inbalance of chemicals in my mind, associated with fear, depression or anxiety.
I will continue to go to church regularly and go to confession as well, hoping i can get past these unnecessary thoughts.

I must read all above again, its really something to think about when God tests us and our falling into sin.

 

[RNRobert]

I think using this supposed medical prevention risk to keep on masturbating is a bad idea. You can get prostate cancer from anything possibly, so to use it as an excuse to keep masturbating is resting on thin ice, if you ask me.

When I was in nursing school, one of my instructors told us that if you did autopsies on men who died at 80 or older, you’d find prostate cancer in almost all of them.

 

[GailMac]

A natural impediment to marriage. Have at it. Done yet? In Ten years you may be qualified to marry.

Peace,

Gail

P.S. To the first woman you proposed to. Can you find her in ten years? Nope too bad. How about an alternative religion? I here protestant denominations give swell excuses for mortal sin. But no absolutions!

 

[YipYupYep]

I believe what I have been going though is my biggest test from God that I’ve had to face.

Ill tell ya. This is really one for the books.

If thats you biggest test. Dude! Your a lucky man. God Bless you. I wonder if you were riding in a convoy through the red zone in Baghdad today, where self abuse would be on you list of
big tests.

Anyway. “Remember it’s the result of ONE study, they found that frequent ejaculation MIGHT lower the risk, and this is what they SPECULATE just MIGHT be the POSSIBLE reason”

Its a tough, tough battle. No normal person wants to fight it if they can wiggle out of it. I can think of a million lame excuses not to fight it. This would be pretty near the bottom of the pile.

What “haunts your mind” is not cancer, its your God given sexual nature. You have to deal with it. There are no short cuts.

 

[TLM08]

yeah i figured that much (in regards to the remove idea)just one question how come some days/weeks are way easy to be “pure” then all of a sudden it hits one like a ton of bricks…i have my good times then desire/lust comes upon me and it sometimes seems God just isn’t there helping me anymore,

Brother… I know EXACTLY what you are talking about! Maybe it’s God’s way of reminding us how feeble we really are and it’s his way of toughening us up. He wants us to keep fighting even though we are sometimes getting the daylights beat out of us

God is still there when we struggle and fall, but we have to remember who we are fighting! We’re fighting Satan, who is the second biggest and baddest kid on the block!

 

[fbl9]

God tests us. He does so for at least two reasons. First He tests us to show what is in our hearts. Grace and corruption lie deep in the heart and we are often decieved as to what is really there. Trials are His instruments that can dig right to the bottom and draw it out of us.

A second reason He tests us is to show our need of His grace. Until we are tested, we think we are living on our own strength. But God alone is the one who keeps us from falling. In Gen. 20, God told Abimelech that He withheld him from sinning. God prevented him from sinning. This has been called God’s preserving grace.
God also reveals to us His renewing grace. Paul, in his prayer from the thorn in his flesh prayed that God might remove it, but God told him, "No, my grace is renewed,(or perfected, or completed) in your weakness."2 Cor. 12:9. We don’t realize the power God puts forth on our behalf, until we compare our trials with our weakness. God’s power and grace are then clearly seen in our lives. We need to be tried in order in to realize the glory of being preserved.

. Like was in the case of Hezekiah. Like an undisciplined dog taken for a walk wants to chase after everything which crosses his path, God finally says to us, “you want it that bad? Go and get it, and fall deeper into your corruption.” It’s part of His justice on us for our love for the forbidden.

But again that is from God’s standpoint. From our standpoint, we give ourselves over. Eph, 4:19, “being past feeling they gave themselves over…” In the Greek, apelgeo: apathetic, past feeling. We sin because we don’t care. So therin lies part of our problem, my friend. Yes, we have hormones, but we lack care. We need to draw near to God through Christ.

.

first off this is one of the best posts:thumbsup: i have read in regards to the issue…i have removed most of it in order that it may be more clear what i a m addressing…why does this corruption stil lay in one’s heart after being regenerated,?? after some more thinking(on my own part before even posting my first post)i thought that God was allowing me to fall inot this sin again so as to learn to trust Him…like you were saying about God saying you want it go for it…i once got fed up with myself and did just that,you want to do this here buy this that and have a good time…after awhile i was literally sick of it,it made a stomache turn at the thought of looking at porn again…didn’t last long enough,but still i fight against the temptation…i was having some issues on my farm,my prayers just seemed to be blown away in the wind(which was the cause of the prayers)after watching the swaths in one field be blown away as i drove the combine over to the field to start combing i was mad He didn’t answer my prayers He doesn’t care why should i?? again into this sin i went…to my fellow catholics i did recieve the sacrement of reconcillation after each of my falls…

 

[lofktis14kr]

why does this corruption stil lay in one’s heart after being regenerated,?? after some more thinking(on my own part before even posting my first post)i thought that God was allowing me to fall inot this sin again so as to learn to trust Him…

Yes, in our weakness, we see His strength. Therefore we need to keep our eyes fixed on the source of regeneration. The reason I say this, is because many professing believers have their eyes fixed on the wrong direction. They are focused more on what they should or shouldn’t do than on what God has already done for them and continues to do in them.
In Ephesians 4:15-16, Paul tells the church, “see then that you walk circumspectly, not unwise but as wise. Redeeming the time for the days are evil.” At this point in his letter, Paul is in the middle of giving the church a series of things to do and not to do. He is giving them principles of holy conduct which they are to follow. But before all of that, he has said something which is foundational to these commands, as he said, “see then that you…” When we hear a call to obedience, we have a tendency as prideful beings to attach ourselves like a leech to the commands as if we could suck life out of it for ourselves. That is what the unsaved moralist does. He places his hope for eternal life in his works of the law. His focus is on what he is doing instead of what God is doing. But Paul addresses this very issue as he first lays the foundation upon which he gives his call to holiness. Basically this foundation is what he calls, “the riches of God’s glory.”

In chapter 1, Paul describes these riches as he tells the church of his prayer for them (1:16). They are, “the hope to which He has called you.” and, “the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe.” Now, these two, the hope of our calling and the greatness of His power, are essentially one and the same as he goes on to demonstrate. “According to the working of His great might that He worked in Christ Jesus when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power…and He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” These are the riches of His glory: the hope to which He called us, and His resurrection power. Reigning in heaven with Jesus as part of His body is our hope, and His power at work in us making that happen.

Now, we might say, “of course our hope is not in ourselves, but God.” But the degree to which we ought to hope in Him, is also important to understand. Notice Paul’s emphasis on the degree of God’s power at work in us. “According to the working of His great power that He worked in Christ Jesus when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him in the heavenly places.” Then he continues, “And you were dead in trespasses and sins.” In ourselves, we are just as able to overcome our sin and lust, as Jesus’ dead body had power in itself to emerge from the tomb. God calls us to a life of holiness, but we do so according to His power at work in us.

And if we are going to persevere in our battle with lust, then we need to continue looking to Him. Notice Paul tells us another of his prayers for the church in 3:16. “That according to the riches of His glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through His spirit in your inner being.” First he prayed that we would know of this power, now he prays that God would apply it to us. This is the foundation which Paul builds his exhortations upon. So that when duty is set before us, we can know where our strength lies. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”