Men and temptations

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grapes

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Man I’ll tell ya. I’ve never been bombarded with all the crud in the media and in society in general. I don’t know about the rest of you but its sex sex sex…
It’s all I can do to keep my eyes off a woman.
Help me out if you can.
Grapes
 
just say out aloud or in your mind when bad thoughts come in:

ITS THE DEVIL TEMPTING ME…

it really works… trust me…

when these thoughts come to your mind, you think you are bad and evil and that demoralises you… just remember - Jesus himself said : The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak!!!

Just remember this and make sure that even if your flesh tempts you, you keep your spirit strong…

I hope this helps…
 
you can also choose to avoid media sources that are too provocative for you. some people live long happy successful healthy lives without ever watching or listening to MSM
 
Pray and don’t test your stamina. It’s easier to give up on something altogether than to go in a little and then get out when it starts being too much. It’s just that the initial choice is harder to make on that step.
 
Please, please, please, for the sake of all women out there, fight those temptations! We need and want men who will treat us properly, not like sex-toys. Seek, and you will find; ask, and it shall be given to you. Jesus will give you the strength to resist, just ask, and use it! Block out anything in your life that causes you temptation. If the TV is bothering you, shut it off or leave the room. If something on the internet is bothering you, close your browser window. If a woman walks by who is dressed immodestly, turn away. If the lyrics of a song bother you, turn it off. Don’t allow the Devil access to your mind and thoughts!
I will think of you when I pray this morning. :gopray:
Keep fighting the good fight! 😃
 
grapes said:
Man I’ll tell ya. I’ve never been bombarded with all the crud in the media and in society in general. I don’t know about the rest of you but its sex sex sex…
It’s all I can do to keep my eyes off a woman.
Help me out if you can.
Grapes
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It is helpful to understand that Jesus is quite serious about not consciously sinning. You do have control over your gaze and thoughts beyond an automatic glace or thought. Control your (name removed by moderator)uts and associations at all costs and prudent measure.

“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” Matthew 5: 29
 
grapes said:
Man I’ll tell ya. I’ve never been bombarded with all the crud in the media and in society in general. I don’t know about the rest of you but its sex sex sex…
It’s all I can do to keep my eyes off a woman.
Help me out if you can.
Grapes
Click to expand...
So true. It’s so tough. I get upset that so many women don’t see that they don’t need to act provocatively- that they shouldn’t- that it’s a shame!
😦
 
There is a Protestant book called: Man in the Mirror by Patrick Morley, I would recommend it with great caution. Dismissing much of his theology, there is a very good section on maintaining the custody of your eyes, in fact it’s the best I’ve read.

Here is also a good link from www.dads.org , Steve Woods website for men.

dads.org/article.asp?artId=180

I would also highly recommend his little booklet: Breaking Free: 12 Steps to Sexual Purity for Men

One more book to recommend: The Deceiver: Our Daily Struggle with Satan By Livio Fanzaga. Simply awesome book. Everyone needs to read it, I’m tempted to try and put together a study group in our parish next Lent.

God bless.
%between%
 
grapes said:
Man I’ll tell ya. I’ve never been bombarded with all the crud in the media and in society in general. I don’t know about the rest of you but its sex sex sex…
It’s all I can do to keep my eyes off a woman.
Help me out if you can.
Grapes
Click to expand...
To deal with the temptation of lust I have developed a devotion to Mary, Hail Mary is one of my most used prayers.

I have her image holding our savior in many places. I come to a realization that God could have chosen any woman to bring our savior to us, though he choose Mary. When I’m tempted with lust I start meditating on the wonder of the gift God gave us through Mary and transfer those thoughts to any woman which could become the object of my lustful thinking. Of course this wouldn’t work for me if I didn’t develop a devotion to Our Mother.

Before I came in to full communion, and didn’t have this understanding of Mary, I use to deal with other people by putting Christ into my situation with them. It worked great when dealing with my anger, misgivngs or judgements with men. But as a man, it is hard to do the same with my relationships with women. Though Christ represents the humanity in all us, it is so much easier as a man to relate to women through my love for our Mother Mary.

I have been studying Theology of the Body and that has been very helpful to have a better understanding of sexuality as ordained by God, also. Having the right perspective of sexuality works wonders also for me.
 
grapes said:
Man I’ll tell ya. I’ve never been bombarded with all the crud in the media and in society in general. I don’t know about the rest of you but its sex sex sex…
It’s all I can do to keep my eyes off a woman.
Help me out if you can.
Grapes
Click to expand...
Yeah it is difficult. My advice is to avoid the near occasion of sin, i.e. do other things then watch tv and browse the Internet. If media sources are causes for temptation, avoid them. It would be better to throw out your television and computer than for your soul to go to hell. When I lived on my own I had no tv and no computer. That was my decision and it was the most fruitful, most holy time of my life. Those sources bombard us men with sexual images that affect us even if we don’t want them to. Don’t allow yourself to take them in. Develop your prayer life, frequent the sacraments, do spiritual reading, develop good holy friendships, find good activities, and avoid things that lead you into temptation.

And women - please listen - men need your help too. We don’t want to see parts of your body that only your husband should see. Respect yourselves, dress modestly, don’t be a cause for your neighbor to sin. And us men need to strengthen ourselves and our wills too.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ’s peace to you.
 
strugglingalong said:
And women - please listen - men need your help too. We don’t want to see parts of your body that only your husband should see. Respect yourselves, dress modestly, don’t be a cause for your neighbor to sin. And us men need to strengthen ourselves and our wills too.
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It’s like my worldly, immodest cousin who whines about never being able to find a good man, yet never stops to think about how her dress, behavior, choices, etc. could be one of the very things that is helping to create all these “bad” men.

Beyond that, pray the spiritual armor. I find that it helps me in many, many situations. Here’s a site I’ve used to meditate on the Armor of God: porn-free.org/armor_study.htm
 
I forgot to mention I’m married to a lovely wife and have 3 children.
I’m raising the kids up in the faith, I wish I could say the same for my wife. Unfortunately she and I don’t see alike on this topic and although it was her idea to start them in the Catholic school system not mine (at the time I was looking for God and His church and became Catholic 3 yrs later) and not practicing her faith that is all my wife figures the kids need. My inlaws God bless them are pretty rough around the edges and though they mean well, the conversations we have are unacceptable especially when there’s children around.
We compramise on many things such as tv, movies, music, what the kids are exposed to etc. I’m sure if I didn’t we may have been divorced.
Anyway my attraction to women is strong, and I feel this not only in strangers, but inlaws, cousins… any woman.
Many times I will have to look away from tv, when I’m spending time with my spouse, or tune out the radio etc.
Let me just say I don’t make my wife to be the bandit in this as I have alot of bad habits myself, just trying to paint a picture.
I also have OCD and it sure doesn’t help.
grapes
 
I can say from experience that once you start looking it becomes very, very hard to stop. Things generally progress from there, just the way Satan wants them to. It leads to lust, possibly pornography, masturbation and eventually unfaithfulness to both God and your spouse. It is an addiction, very similar to a drug or alcohol addiction and once it has a hold on you, can be just as hard to get over.

I was exposed to pornography when I was 9. I found the magazine in a public restroom in the local Lowe’s Home Improvement store. I have had troubles ever since. It has only been recently that I have managed to kick the habits developed over the years and control, by the grace of God, the temptations.

These temptations if not controlled destroy lives, relationships and ultimately souls. It is this last that we should be most worried about. Pray that you may have the strength to overcome any temptation and God will give you the necessary graces to do so. Pray the Rosary and develop a relationship with her, you will need no other woman to look after.

If you have already started down this road(not directed at any particular individual), go to Confession, do penance and avoid the near occasions of sin. All of this will help to stay away from the snares and temptations of the evil one.
 
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