Questions

Frequently Asked Questions.

Triggers and Satan’s Lies

A while back I wrote to you about going on streaks of not masturbating and eventually falling. I want to make these streaks permanent, and Brian McGinness suggested I stop “white knuckle” change and start making real change. I studied the psychology of addiction and started to look closely at my life. I found certain things like being alone or having my computer at certain places in the house triggered me, but there is something I’m still having trouble combating. I am 20, and have been masturbating and looking at porn on and off since I was 13, with some portions of time being very heavy. Call it Satan or my central nervous system, but something within me keeps telling me porn is a good idea, that it will end up fine. Masturbation and porn is so familiar to me, it’s like a really bad habit, and after I’m done and I start to loathe myself, I lose faith. Since I’ve done the same thing over and over and continue doing it, I have no hope that this time that I’ve masturbated will be my last. How do I ignore these persistent lies in my mind and gain the hope I need that this time I’ve masturbated has been my last?

Christian,

Email me at [email protected] with this same response you posted.

actually Stopping

Hi my question is i have stop for sometime. But how do i know that i have cut the roots of my idolatry of the flesh, and not just kept it inside of me, For a later time.

Ben,

Have you put any type of plan in to action for responding to your triggers, if not I would suggest this. Also do you have an accountability partner as well, again if not you need to find someone who you know will hold you accountable.

From there you need to remove anything that tempts you to look or turn to porn.

sex, and masturbation… is it wrong???

I have often wondered about this… is masturbation wrong? this has been something that has plagued me for a long time… and I’m sure that I’m not the only one out there. is it a sin to masturbate? will this behavior hurt me in my future marriage?

We have had literally thousands of emails about this particular issue. We have heard all the scenarios. “Well if I think about fruit while I’m masturbating, then that is not a sin.” Well isn’t that clever. Or…”If I’m giving glory to the Lord while I’m doing it, then that can’t be wrong.” Hmmm. Why don’t we just make that part of our Sunday morningspan> services then? We have heard all the Pro-masturbation Christian arguments and we wonder if these people are dealing in reality. It’s all very intellectual and quite scholarly, but we still don’t get it. Sorry.

Our stance is simply this: you want to live a life that is honoring to God then start pleasing him and stop pleasing yourself. Stop making excuses and get some control over your life. Yes, it is tough. Yes, we know hormones are raging. However, God is calling us to holiness. Live an extraordinary life. Masturbation will leave you hanging every time! It is a selfish act that pleases no one but YOU. God created sex to be between a man and his wife. Not a man and his girlfriend and not a man or woman with himself or herself.