MOVE ON

like almost everything in life, moving on is so much harder than talking about it. I...I've cut off all access to porn, and yet I still masturbate. I ask forgiveness, and eventually I forgive myself, but...I guess I don't know how to move on. Well...that's sorta a lie, I know how to move on, but I find myself unable to. Something's holding me back, most likely my mind. I guess it comes down to me being a coward and afraid to change. As I already said (I just kinda wanted to vent) it's incredibly hard to move on, whether you have the drive or not.

I know what you mean Garrett. It seems as if you have done everything to improve this fault, and yet you know there is something else than must be done. I think i know what i must do but not sure what it is...

What you need is total transformation. If masturbation has become a habit, you have to unlearn the habit.

For starters, look at what kind of situations you're in when you are tempted. Are you tired? Are you alone? Is it late at night and you have "nothing" to do?

Figure out what outside factors are causing the sin. If you can prevent yourself from falling into the same situation where you sin, you will find it easier to resist.

Are you praying daily for the strength to overcome this temptation? You need to be like David and pray, not one, but daily for God to help you with this.

Recognize this is a process. If you're fighting hard, you could still have a set back. If you do, don't give up. Get up and keep going. And, don't expect an overnight solution to this. You will always have sexual feelings and sexual temptations. You're in this fight for the long haul.

Do you have an accountability partner? Do you have someone you can call when you are tempted who will pray with you, no matter what the time?

And, finally, recognize that at the end of the day, you have free will. You can be tempted so bad it feels like your body is burning up. But, you still have the choice to do what you want. Like all things, the temptation will pass if you hold out. And in those times, turn to the Lord. It's when He'll bless your prayers the most.

I've been there Garrett, and all I have to say is there is hope man. God tells us in His word that He wont give us anything we can't handle (1 Cor. 10:13). Paul also tells us we do the things we don't want to do (Rom 7:15-25). I want to encourage you to check those verses out. Dude, the main thing you want to do is want to give it up. Unless you do, you wont give it up. I know it feels good, and it's a lot of "fun"...but you wont be done with it till you want to be. That may be what is missing. Give it to God brotha! Take care.

@Kenn...
Usually in the mornings when no one's up. (I get up ridiculously early considering it's the summer) I do pray every night (not just the children's "now I lay me down to sleep..." thing). I have problems with taking things in as being just small strokes on the entire painting, always have. >.<
I don't have an accountability partner, though I have people set up for the X3 watch. That really doesn't help though, since I continue even without the use of porn...the only person I can think of seems so over burdened as it is...
Even if I act so defeated by the times that I may fall, I'll not give up. That I know for sure. =)

I don't know how to move on... I've repented so many times, but I keep on messing up... (check out my confession: Double Life...) Even though God forgives me, I'm having trouble forgiving myself... I want to change. I want God to create in me a pure heart.

let c im realy addicte to mastration i try to stop allthe tie nedd help plsse help e ?!?!?!!!!!

are you people absolutely ****ing insane. in no way is it wrong immoral or a bad thing in anyway to masturbate. it is a healthy way of relieving sexual tension in teenagers and young adults. why are you trying to teach archaic outdated beliefs that come from a book written by men (not gods) to children when they should be learning more important things.

@eden
that debate has been discussed b4 and no need to go back to it. thank u

@Kenn...

I just want to say thank you for your words and things that we can do to apply to our lives. Like Garrett I know this struggle and I know I must move on....the only thing that is holding me back in myself. I've got to want it more and I need to create a habit of these things. Thanks for the challenge.

@Eden

I know you obviously don't agree with abstaining from masturbation and that's fine, but why always bring it up on here? I don't think anyone on here hates you or even dislikes you for your viewpoint. Question.....is sexual release a need or want?

@eden

I will be praying that the Lord will open your eyes to the truth of His Word through His Holy Spirit. No one expects you to be able to discern sin for what it is without the Holy Spirit.

this is kind of an uneducated theory i have. but i assume a lot of my masturbation is linked to me holding onto it for so long and when letting go having nothing to grab on that makes me feel good. when i'm having abad day it's also so easy to not care

Why is it when people dissent to a view which is contrary to their own, individuals often mock with sarcasm or simply insult others? My theory is that when presented with something contradictory to self a defensive position is held, so has to hold fast to personal beliefs and creeds. This in turn can lead to an attacking stance, after all if you can end the argument before it starts by convincing yourself that your opposite is a lower in a valued trait (such as intelligence) it is much easier to maintain your own creeds without fear of further endangerment. So in the future would users who feel the need to comment please set aside their defensiveness/aggression so that an intelligent civil debate (which may prove enlightening) may occur. (This comment is not reserved for those who opposite to the Christian Faith, but for all the beliefs under the sun, Christianity included.)

i am addicted to porn and i'm 14. i try to stop going on it but i can't. any tips? i also heard that if u go on porn a lot, police will find u and arrest you. is that true?

@ Rick

r u a Christian?

@ Every1 else

whats up/ if any1 ever needs 2 talk 2 me i am always open 2 talk or debate but i like talking better. Prayin 4 all of u.

I have have a huge problem with porn and masterbation, I just don't know what to do about it! I've prayed daily but it doesn't seem to be helping. What do I do now?

To someone, and everyone for that matter:
I'm recovering after 7 years of addiction. As you know it follows a cycle (screw up, repent, fall back into trap). I brought it daily before God, but I couldn"t shake it. So I have 3 suggestions from my experience. #1 Tell someone (I especially suggest an adult) I'm a Pastor's kid so it was even more difficult for me. It's tough, but it's the only way. #2 Avoud the situations, the Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:22 run from temptation... this may mean a change of schedule or just avoiding situations like being home alone or up late
#3 Get in the word daily... put God #1 in your life

Hey i need some help just say what you do when you go to confession do you tell your sins in detail or do you just go i have sin X amount of times and Lied x amount of times or what do you DO?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hmmm... well a few months back I randomly got into looking at porn and masterbating... I have no idea why it started... was just curious one day and got hooked... boy did it screw me over.

a lady at my church one sunday came over to me and asked me if i was ok and i said i was just tired n she kept pressing (later telling me that she felt God telling her to press) and i ended up telling her which was really good. I stoped after that for a few weeks because I didn't want to disappoint her but then i was like thats not the reason i shud be stopping... and after i thought that it started happening again... arghhhh its so easy to get sucked into and it suck big time. once your stuck its so flippen hard to get out... earlier today i was a wreck because the yearning in my heart for God is so strong... yet the porn wont let me get to God. It keeps me from Him... today I told God that I was finished with it... yet this evening i've given into the temptation. its actually ridiculous...

anyway if anyone is keen to pray for me please do... thanks everyone, so much... its nice to know that we've got support...

this site makes me want to look at even more porn...WOO HOO!

@ David

I know how u feel. i am going through the same thing. 7 years addicted finally committed 2 stopping. I am going 2 b a youth minister and i know how u feel when people look up 2 u and u hav 2 tell them what u r doing. That is 1 of the reasons i am quitting. i dont want this addiction 2 make people feel like they cant talk 2 me about their problems. So i am quitting this.

@ Alex

r u Catholic?

I have struggled with pornography for the last four years. My desire to overcome pornography has revealed to me how much I need God's love and strength. The Lord has allowed me to grow in many ways and experience many blessings. but still i continue to struggle with this sin. my life has become a blessing to many people both young and old in my life and i feel like i am constantly letting them all down. i earnestly desire to break free from this sin so that I can truly be the man he has called me to be. I see that many of you understand my situation, if you could please help me to expose sin to those close to me and destroy this stronghold of the enemy in my life

I think it was David that made the three points about how to overcome this and his first one was to tell someone. I know that somewhere in the bible i read "confess your sins one to another" and so many times I have thought about telling someone but I just don't. My mom and my grandma are the people I trust the most in this world but I'm afraid of what they will think. There not dumb and probably assume I've done so but I still can't possibly think of how they would see me after that. I know fully that it is something I have to do for me to ever get over my addiction but I can't get over it! I came here hopping that maby someone knew a quote that could help but mostly for encouragement. If any of you have confessed, what happened?

This is the dumbest article I have ever read in my entire life. I feel sorry for anybody who believes this crap. Man has sex with a woman he is not married to, son dies. god is an asshole for ruining that man's life by killing his son, over something far less worse. An eye for an eye appearantly means "brutal murder for a slap on the back."

In his noodley appendages, RAmen!

All of you who wrote and said that you're struggling, I can totally relate because I've been there. My question to you is: by this point do you even believe that God will help you to do better, or have you given up to the point where you don't think this "sin, repent, sin, repent" cycle will ever end? I have discovered that having faith to believe is the first step to recovery. As a former porn and masturbation addict, I can tell you that you must have the faith to believe God will give you the strength to overcome this. No matter how many times you have given in before and no matter how much this seems like a never-ending cycle, you still have to trust that God will deliver you. I read a quote by Henry Ford (inventor of the car) yesterday; he said, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you are right." If you don't give up hope, you CAN quit. Maybe not today, but sometime. Please don't have a defeated attitude, because that only makes your addiction worse. I know because I've been there. Instead of telling yourself that you're addicted and can't overcome this, start thinking, "I am more than a conquerer in Christ Jesus, so I can conquer this addiction. The fruit of the Spirit is self-control, so God will give me self-control." Sometimes the right attitude can make all the difference. Have faith.

to Me-

I like your view on things, although I didn't fully read your comment and I have a massive headache at the moment.
Some interesting info about henry ford- He was a major anti-Semitic who even had a newspaper titled "the international jew, the world's foremost problem."

I wanted to write some encouragement to those of you who are thinking about and struggling with the thought of confessing your sin. Sharing your struggle with another person is a vital step towards breaking the stronghold of sexual sin. It's scary, it's hard. But it's necessary. Things like porn and masturbation (or OWNING IT... haha) not only survive, but also thrive in the safety of darkness and secrecy. Although I exposed my dirty little secrets a couple years ago and have remained in accountability relationships ever since, I still occasionally struggle with being completely transparent. Those times tend to be when things aren't going so well or I'm having a really hard time. I am reminded, though, and encouraged by Ephesians 5. Here we are reminded that we are children of God, His special children of light. As such, He loves us! And, He calls us to walk as children of light. In other words, to act in ways that are pleasing to the Lord and to live openly before Him and others.

With all that said, choose wisely who you share with. Now granted, no one is going to be walking around your church or your school or your house with, "if you're a sex addict, find help here" written across their forehead! That's the difficult part. That, and the fact that it's so hard to expose these types of things about ourselves to other people. But, I suggest that you look for the following things. You want someone of the same gender, preferably a mature older adult. Friends may be helpful in realizing that you're not the only one, etc. But older (godly) adults come equipped with wisdom and perspective that anyone in our peer group will probably be lacking. If you go to church, look around you and think of who are the godly, well respected leaders. Who are the men/women who are trusted, and respected, and who consistently show a level of maturity in the faith? Above all, pray about it. Trust God to lead you to the people whom you should talk with.

As to the question Jeremiah posed about what happened: In the first place, try not to worry about what will happen. The risk of bad things happening when you share with someone is far outweighed by the sure fire, highly destructive nature of sexual sin in one's life. But with my personal experience, I agonized in prayer for months, as I began seeking out older, godly women in my church. (Yes, I'm a recovering female sex addict.) I was deeply convicted that I was living a lie, seeing as no one knew about it. And, I knew that God wanted to address this issue in my life. I was able to find a group of people who know exactly what's going on and still love me. They tell me the truth when I need it and they have shown me more grace and hope than I ever dared imagine. They support me through all the ups and downs. I have been able to celebrate significant victories in my life, but I literally could not make it through this fight without my support base. And that's the beautiful thing about the body of Christ... He gives us one another as we walk through life, even through the nitty-gritties of porn, etc. So all this to say, this fight is worth it. Telling someone is worth it.

Im tired of it! I been hooked on porn and masturbation for about 2 years now. It started by curisoity with just masturbation. Then I herd about porn at school and looked at it once and was immediatly hooked. I prayed and prayed never made it over 2 weeks without doing one or the other. Every time i tell my self this was the last time. It never happends. I feel so bad and miserable afterwards but i still can't stop.

Hey guys I'm 16 and i had just started masturbating and looking at porn about 3 months go. Just about every time i did it i felt guilty after, probably just like all of you. I am just starting to break free of my addiction. I went on a retreat with my church and it totally changed my life. I look at every situations in a different way now. For all of those of you that are struggling, try getting involved with a good youth group and maybe going on a trip or something like that. That's what did it for me. Don't try to quit on your own, but ask God for strength. I was trying to quit on my own and that doesn't work at all. Really pursue God and he will give you the strength and courage to break free. It is not a quick process, but with Christ anybody can break free of anything. Surround yourself with Christ, a good Church, and a group of Christian friends that will support you. I'm praying for all of you. One Love. Peace

yea after you mess up and you ask for forgiveness you are forgiven even if you don't feel it. salvation is deeper thin emotions.