..."but in practice he becomes incapable of perceiving the deeper realities of what grace, repentance, or chastity actually means for him."
Unfortunately, I know this all too well. I'm sure many other have experienced the same. It is crazy how clouded your mind can become when you partake in this particular kind of sin. Lust specifically is becoming so commonplace, so normal in society and many don't even realize what it does. Through Christ, it can be conquered. Great read, God bless!
It really is astounding how much it blinds you and how much mental gymnastics you end up engaging in to justify sin. But as you say, through Christ we can conquer it! Glad you liked the article Garrett, God bless you!
{I should clarify: I was not addicted to pornography, nor lust itself, but rather sexual gratification only. Fortunately, I was never comfortable with even soft porn. Sorry, if I was not clear on that.] On lust: It's an addiction, and in many ways has to be addressed that way. Unlike others, however, I don't believe that any addiction is necessarily for life. It may take years to completely overcome an addiction, but it will become less and less of an issue over time--if you can persevere in denying it. Like anything in life, though, temptation is always a test; your strength of Faith can, and will, help you overcome it, if you are willing to suffer foregoing the pleasure. You will, in my own experience, be regularly tested on any temptations that you have had trouble with for the rest of your life, with those tests becoming less and less as you are able to stand your ground more and more. If you can be steadfast--which is part of your Faith--eventually you will probably find that those moments of temptation aren't really that hard to overcome anymore, and maybe will also be fewer and further between. However, if you view them nonchalantly, or think that it's okay to give in to them periodically, the addiction can flare up and become even worse. It's really about character, strength, and Faith, I think. When I started on my journey of Faith 26 years ago, I had several addictions to deal with, and lust was one of them. I fought with it for nearly 7 years before I finally overcame it, breaking down in tears to ask my Creator for help. Even though that was nearly 20 years ago, and I've been celibate for the last nearly 10 years, I still get tested sometimes. Now, though, it's generally a fleeting thing that I don't allow to really enter my thoughts--when I feel that happening, I just reject it as something that is foreign to my being, and it disappears fairly quickly. I am so thankful for my Faith, because it has saved my life and my soul. Falun Dafa Hao! :)
Thank you for sharing your testimony, Barbara. I'm sure many will read it and find inspiration to persevere in the pursuit of chastity. Praise the Lord and love to hear that you have found healing and transformation. God really is great. Many blessings and thank you for reading!
Thank you very much for the kind and encouraging words Shelly 🙏🏻 I truly appreciate your support and I'm glad to hear you liked the article. God bless you!
I live alone in my 50s and still succumb to porn continually. I can't get more than three days clean. This has been a 30 plus year addiction and I've been a Christian believer the entire time.
It can be a lifelong battle brother. Persevere. And I'd suggest going to confession often. It was a game changer for me. Also, partaking in the Eucharist. The Sacraments are singlehandedly the best way to let Christ transform us deeply
This is a little late but your story is my story. Go to extremes and figuratively cut off the hand and pluck out the eye. I downloaded covenant eyes and put it on every device I owned. My smart TV had a web browser and I threw it in the trash and switched to reading books. Covenant eyes has an accountability Ally function and I picked my manager who is a Christian man and if I even look at a woman in a bikini online it notifies him and sends a blurred screenshot. It locks settings to safe search and you can make your ally the admin so you can't delete the app and even if hes not and you delete it he will be notified. With this level of time and addiction you can't do this without help and you are under the tyranny of the passion and need a brother to aid you and supervision. It's the best decision I ever made and the best 20$ a month I've ever spent. You have to ask yourself to I want freedom from slavery really and do I follow the Lord or not?
Here’s the part that took me a while to see: Paul never says they sinned and then their minds went dark. He says they exchanged the truth, refused to give thanks, let the heart go dark — and the appetites took over after that. The order matters. We keep fighting at step six. The exchange happened at step one.
The considerations are interesting. However, I wonder if married couples are less intelligent than totally virgin people, if it is true that sexual pleasure clouds the mind.
..."but in practice he becomes incapable of perceiving the deeper realities of what grace, repentance, or chastity actually means for him."
Unfortunately, I know this all too well. I'm sure many other have experienced the same. It is crazy how clouded your mind can become when you partake in this particular kind of sin. Lust specifically is becoming so commonplace, so normal in society and many don't even realize what it does. Through Christ, it can be conquered. Great read, God bless!
It really is astounding how much it blinds you and how much mental gymnastics you end up engaging in to justify sin. But as you say, through Christ we can conquer it! Glad you liked the article Garrett, God bless you!
{I should clarify: I was not addicted to pornography, nor lust itself, but rather sexual gratification only. Fortunately, I was never comfortable with even soft porn. Sorry, if I was not clear on that.] On lust: It's an addiction, and in many ways has to be addressed that way. Unlike others, however, I don't believe that any addiction is necessarily for life. It may take years to completely overcome an addiction, but it will become less and less of an issue over time--if you can persevere in denying it. Like anything in life, though, temptation is always a test; your strength of Faith can, and will, help you overcome it, if you are willing to suffer foregoing the pleasure. You will, in my own experience, be regularly tested on any temptations that you have had trouble with for the rest of your life, with those tests becoming less and less as you are able to stand your ground more and more. If you can be steadfast--which is part of your Faith--eventually you will probably find that those moments of temptation aren't really that hard to overcome anymore, and maybe will also be fewer and further between. However, if you view them nonchalantly, or think that it's okay to give in to them periodically, the addiction can flare up and become even worse. It's really about character, strength, and Faith, I think. When I started on my journey of Faith 26 years ago, I had several addictions to deal with, and lust was one of them. I fought with it for nearly 7 years before I finally overcame it, breaking down in tears to ask my Creator for help. Even though that was nearly 20 years ago, and I've been celibate for the last nearly 10 years, I still get tested sometimes. Now, though, it's generally a fleeting thing that I don't allow to really enter my thoughts--when I feel that happening, I just reject it as something that is foreign to my being, and it disappears fairly quickly. I am so thankful for my Faith, because it has saved my life and my soul. Falun Dafa Hao! :)
Thank you for sharing your testimony, Barbara. I'm sure many will read it and find inspiration to persevere in the pursuit of chastity. Praise the Lord and love to hear that you have found healing and transformation. God really is great. Many blessings and thank you for reading!
Thank you for caring enough to share, as well. This issue seems to be a real scourge on humanity itself, and I find it to be so tragic. :(
A profound and powerful article! Thanks for sharing this.
Glad you liked the article David! God bless you friend
Thanks for having the courage to address uncomfortable issues. You are iron sharpening iron. Sparks fly. Women need to face it, too.
Thank you very much for the kind and encouraging words Shelly 🙏🏻 I truly appreciate your support and I'm glad to hear you liked the article. God bless you!
I live alone in my 50s and still succumb to porn continually. I can't get more than three days clean. This has been a 30 plus year addiction and I've been a Christian believer the entire time.
It can be a lifelong battle brother. Persevere. And I'd suggest going to confession often. It was a game changer for me. Also, partaking in the Eucharist. The Sacraments are singlehandedly the best way to let Christ transform us deeply
This is a little late but your story is my story. Go to extremes and figuratively cut off the hand and pluck out the eye. I downloaded covenant eyes and put it on every device I owned. My smart TV had a web browser and I threw it in the trash and switched to reading books. Covenant eyes has an accountability Ally function and I picked my manager who is a Christian man and if I even look at a woman in a bikini online it notifies him and sends a blurred screenshot. It locks settings to safe search and you can make your ally the admin so you can't delete the app and even if hes not and you delete it he will be notified. With this level of time and addiction you can't do this without help and you are under the tyranny of the passion and need a brother to aid you and supervision. It's the best decision I ever made and the best 20$ a month I've ever spent. You have to ask yourself to I want freedom from slavery really and do I follow the Lord or not?
Olá, 👋
Acompanho seu conteúdo do Brasil!🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
Continue firme na Verdade e levando as verdades da Palavra de Deus às pessoas! Amém!
Amen! Saludos mi hermano. Dios te bendiga!
Here’s the part that took me a while to see: Paul never says they sinned and then their minds went dark. He says they exchanged the truth, refused to give thanks, let the heart go dark — and the appetites took over after that. The order matters. We keep fighting at step six. The exchange happened at step one.
The considerations are interesting. However, I wonder if married couples are less intelligent than totally virgin people, if it is true that sexual pleasure clouds the mind.
Sexual pleasure is not the same as sexual sin brother!