Prayer for my Trouble in Discernment

[Rebekah45]

I’m currently attempting to discern if I should enter the religious life. The problem is I have trouble resisting my own flesh, and the devil keeps tempting me strongly with lust and pleasure. I Hate It!!! I wish I could just say NO to this sin forever! I promise to God every time I go to mass or confession that I won’t do it again, but then I later get caught in thought and I sin. I’ve held back for a while from doing this sin, & yet I still give in. Most of the time the devil tempts me when I’m tired and not thinking correctly, which is when I’m at my weakest. I HATE how I do SO well with avoiding, but then I just go back into a terrible habit of lust again. When I do this, I feel like I must start over from square one with God, and I’ve gotten so far with him. What’s even worse, when I get lust thoughts stuck in mind for to long, I begin to want to do them, even when I know it’s wrong. PLEASE PRAY For ME, I NEED ALL the HELP & SUPPORT that I can Get!!! I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO DO GOD’s WILL, But I’M NOT SURE WHERE TO START AND HOW TO GET RID of THiS TEMPTATION For GOOD!!! I Want to do God’s WILL More than Anything!!! Please KEEP PRAYING for ME DAILY!!! I’m so mad at myself! I FEEL LOST & ALONE!!!
Thanks for all your support, messages, and prayer,
I hope to help this world become a better place, but first I must fight my battle,
Rebekah

 

[Koineman]

I’m currently attempting to discern if I should enter the religious life. The problem is I have trouble resisting my own flesh, and the devil keeps tempting me strongly with lust and pleasure. I Hate It!!! I wish I could just say NO to this sin forever! I promise to God every time I go to mass or confession that I won’t do it again, but then I later get caught in thought and I sin. I’ve held back for a while from doing this sin, & yet I still give in. Most of the time the devil tempts me when I’m tired and not thinking correctly, which is when I’m at my weakest. I HATE how I do SO well with avoiding, but then I just go back into a terrible habit of lust again. When I do this, I feel like I must start over from square one with God, and I’ve gotten so far with him. What’s even worse, when I get lust thoughts stuck in mind for to long, I begin to want to do them, even when I know it’s wrong. PLEASE PRAY For ME, I NEED ALL the HELP & SUPPORT that I can Get!!! I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO DO GOD’s WILL, But I’M NOT SURE WHERE TO START AND HOW TO GET RID of THiS TEMPTATION For GOOD!!! I Want to do God’s WILL More than Anything!!! Please KEEP PRAYING for ME DAILY!!! I’m so mad at myself! I FEEL LOST & ALONE!!!
Thanks for all your support, messages, and prayer,
I hope to help this world become a better place, but first I must fight my battle,
Rebekah

Dear Rebekah,

I understand your struggle completely, believe me. I’ll pray for you.

It could be that you have an addiction of some kind. I say that because one of the signs of an addiction (if I understand it right) is that the person can resist for a time, but after a while he or she will “binge”–commit the activity all over again with just as much intensity as the resistance of it. It’s like the lust comes back with a vengeance after having been denied for a time.

Remember, every bit of progress is significant, even if it is just a little. God is very patient and longsuffering. The fact that I’m still alive is proof of that.

Hang in there! Don’t be discouraged. Sin has great power, but Christ has infinitely more! Trust Him to make you dead to this sin.

Here is a quote from Thomas a Kempis’* Imitation of Christ* that I have always found very helpful:

“[W]e must be watchful, especially in the beginning of temptation, because then the enemy is easier overcome, if he is not suffered to come in at all at the door of the soul, but is kept out and resisted at his first knock.
Whence a certain man said: ‘Withstand the beginning, after-remedies come too late.’
For first a bare thought comes to the mind; then a strong imagination; afterwards delight, and evil motion and consent.
And thus, by little and little, the wicked enemy gets full entrance, when he is not resisted in the beginning.”

 

[Semper_Zelare]

I’ll keep you in my prayers!

I’m going through a very similar thing. I got to confess today, so that was great. And I’m going to see a vocations director this tuesday. But, because I periodically struggle with this sin, I often feel unworthy to serve God. But, that is really just another attack of the Devil alongside lust- that we would doubt ourselves. Or doubt God’s mercy. God gets great glory when He helps us overcome our faults and shortcomings.

Keep me in y’alls prayers as well!!! The Devil seems to target tenfold those people that he knows are capapable of being used as great tools by God. So, keep us, and everyone discerning in your prayers… that we would be shielded by St. Michael the Archangel and all the Saints by the temptations of the enemy.

 

[Julian0404]

The issue with which you struggle is a very high obstacle and difficult to overcome. And many times the “trigger(s)” which leads to the behavior is quite unexpected and without anticipation. I would suggest you reflect back on what environment/media/scenario’s/situations you were involved when the desire returned. That is the easy part, the difficulty is to begin the “forty days” of fasting from that “trigger”, just as JESUS went out forty days and forty nights and fasted, follow in HIS footsteps (not the forty days without food, but the forty days without the triggers which cause you to sin).

Disconnect cable - from the cable company, not the wall if TV is the issue. Place a strong christian fire wall on your computer - by another who does not share the password and restricts all porn sites, if that is the issue. Put “on hold” any male/female relationships/contacts if they are the issue. Trash all media from your apt/house that may be triggers. Force yourself to “fast” from the triggers. Force yourself to be proactive in demonstrating to GOD, that you are taking action to remove this sin from your life, your walking the talk.

Secondly, get a copy of “PREPARATION FOR DEATH” (Considerations on Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell ) by St. Alphonsus Liguori and read this during those forty days. You can get the abridged copy from TAN publishers. This book is spritual medicine on the “nuclear” level. If anyone is stuck in a sin, this is the “go to book” to help them understand the dramatic need to become proactive and physically attack the sin in our lives - not just talk - but walk.

Thirdly, make the Novena to St. Michael the Archangle part of your daily prayer life. It is his job to attack and fight with satan and his minions - you cannot - but you can call on St. Michael.

May St. Aphonsus Ligouri give you the strength to forego he pleasure of sin for the Joy of Salvation, amen.

 

[Rebekah45]

Thanks! I’ll consider and try all of your guys’s advice!!!