I stopped for 10 days then there it was again

[mswigerwv]

Hello I would first like to say yes I am an addict and no matter how many times I try to release myself from looking at pornography I feed into temptation. For the 10 days before Easter I had not looked at pornography at all (even though I was very very tempted) but then Easter day came and I was so excited because here it was going to be 11 days but it didnt happen. It seemed like all of a sudden I had no defense against the temptation and now here it is 2 days after Easter and I am still feeling defenseless and when I say to myself no something happens like take for example before I got on here I was checking my email and then I decided to go to one of my old favorite websites to even though I knew that the porn blocker I had placed on my computer would block it but the site came up and my mind went blank and....yeah. I want out of this so bad and I feel so horrible and so many other bad emotions after I do that but still I go back to it. I ask all that read this that you will pray that I will be released from this, I dont want to be this person anymore, I want to be closer to God but instead I am pushing him away further when I do this. :pray:

[HisLeast]

Hey friend,

There's a few of us here who relate very closely with your struggle. What I'm about to tell you might sound a little controversial and perhaps even a little counter-intuitive.

First, stop beating yourself up about it. This isn't to say the porn is OK, or that it isn't offensive to God. Its absolutely poisonous and it offends God highly. Sometimes we usie porn as an escape from something. Sometimes its as basic as wanting to feel good, when you have no other "feel good stimuli". Its like killing a headache with heroine. In my case, I'd binge on the weekend, then beat myself up about all week long... then wonder why the urge was so strong to go back by the end of the week. The problem was my craving was a response to how bad the guilt feelings were and I never allowed myself a second of relief or positive emotion.

Second, stop counting the days. This might sound a silly exercise, but try this one as well: "Don't think of a green elephant". What are you thinking of right now? "A green elephant". By counting the days, you're actually feeding energy into the struggle.

Its time to get serious about repentance my friend, and I'm sure you know already its not as simple as saying a prayer or reading a couple scriptures. You've got to start reaching deep inside and figuring out the WHY behind your temptation. Pay attention to your week. Pay attention to your feelings. When are you going to the porn? What are you looking for? Objectively, what feelings are driving you there and keeping you there? (Hint: it may have nothing to do with sex).

Lastly... do you have access to any help? Councilors or therapists through your church or insurance perhaps?

[Followtheway]

re-examine your lifestyle, go full force obeying the Lord, take control of your life, and truly quit which means get rid of all that porno junk even the soft core stuff, EVERYTHING

[Slug1]

Hello I would first like to say yes I am an addict and no matter how many times I try to release myself from looking at pornography I feed into temptation. For the 10 days before Easter I had not looked at pornography at all (even though I was very very tempted) but then Easter day came and I was so excited because here it was going to be 11 days but it didnt happen. It seemed like all of a sudden I had no defense against the temptation and now here it is 2 days after Easter and I am still feeling defenseless and when I say to myself no something happens like take for example before I got on here I was checking my email and then I decided to go to one of my old favorite websites to even though I knew that the porn blocker I had placed on my computer would block it but the site came up and my mind went blank and....yeah. I want out of this so bad and I feel so horrible and so many other bad emotions after I do that but still I go back to it. I ask all that read this that you will pray that I will be released from this, I dont want to be this person anymore, I want to be closer to God but instead I am pushing him away further when I do this. :pray:

I highlighted 2 statements that you wrote in your post. So I ask you... what are you doing TO defend yourself? Do you understand your authority against satan though your faith in Jesus and utilizing His name as a weapon? The Sword of the Spirit is both an offensive and defensive weapon and augmented with the rest of the Armor of God... you can fight against satan's temptations or firey darts before they are allowed to be taken into the heart and acted upon in sin.

Read Ephesians 6:10-20

[VerticalReality]

Give this thread a read . . .

http://www.bibleforums.org/forum/showthread.php?t=163381

[lcaj]

I have struggled with a similar problem.
And my pastor told me about a program that a few of the men in my church use.
if you go to xxxchurch.com you can download a free accountability program.
Pretty much you can choose 2 of your mates to keep you accountable.
The program keeps track of possible porn sites you go to and every 2 weeks it'll send out a report to your selected friends with a list of the possible bad sites you visited.
Does that make sense?
It's helped me because I now know it's not even an option for me to look at internet porn.
I know it wont completely stop the problem, but perhaps it can help you think twice?
You're doing good though! Just keep trying, keep pushing through, keep praying!

[Prufrock]

Hey friend,

There's a few of us here who relate very closely with your struggle. What I'm about to tell you might sound a little controversial and perhaps even a little counter-intuitive.

First, stop beating yourself up about it. This isn't to say the porn is OK, or that it isn't offensive to God. Its absolutely poisonous and it offends God highly. Sometimes we usie porn as an escape from something. Sometimes its as basic as wanting to feel good, when you have no other "feel good stimuli". Its like killing a headache with heroine. In my case, I'd binge on the weekend, then beat myself up about all week long... then wonder why the urge was so strong to go back by the end of the week. The problem was my craving was a response to how bad the guilt feelings were and I never allowed myself a second of relief or positive emotion.

Second, stop counting the days. This might sound a silly exercise, but try this one as well: "Don't think of a green elephant". What are you thinking of right now? "A green elephant". By counting the days, you're actually feeding energy into the struggle.

Its time to get serious about repentance my friend, and I'm sure you know already its not as simple as saying a prayer or reading a couple scriptures. You've got to start reaching deep inside and figuring out the WHY behind your temptation. Pay attention to your week. Pay attention to your feelings. When are you going to the porn? What are you looking for? Objectively, what feelings are driving you there and keeping you there? (Hint: it may have nothing to do with sex).

Lastly... do you have access to any help? Councilors or therapists through your church or insurance perhaps?
Controversuial or not, I think that this was an excellent post. It is a mistake to think that we fall into this sin simply because of sexual lust. Very often, it has more to do with loneliness or boredom, which then become lust, due to the visual stimulation. In any case, hating yourself or berating yourself is not the answer. The answer is to get your eyes off yourself, and on Jesus Christ.

Sounds so simple, don't it? Well, it is simple: it's just not easy. Keeping our eyes on Christ is one of the hardest things in the world to do - - - and one of the reasons that Heaven, where our attention to Him will not be distracted, will be such a blessing.

I wanted to give some rep to this post, but I've given out too much today .....

[365_days_gone]

All I can say is try not to count the days. By saying "Yes! Ive went this many days!" You start to think subconsciously "Well...Ive went a good enough run...that was long enough. Stay focused on God EVERY SINGLE HOUR OF THE DAY. THEN you will find you last much longer. :cool: