multiple issues including sexual immorality, bulimia

[FfireAZ]

God has called me to become a Praise and worship pastor but i need support and prayer. I have had a long time struggle with sexual immorality and God has recently convicted me on it and has slowly been helping me get better. He has also healed me of self-injury and being bulimic. However satan continues to attack me relentlessly with everything to try and lure me back into BDSM and pornography. God has said pray and i will deliver you and he has every time. but what i keep wondering is when are the attacks gonna stop are they ever gonna stop. I know God has healed me and he wants me to trust him every step of the way. But sometimes its so dark to have my head and thoughts and emotions bombarded. But in the end i know God will win. Please i just need prayer and support does anyone have any advice.

Please keep me in your prayers.

ArcAngel

[JohnnieGuy]

I've been clean and sober on pornography and sexual sin (couple slips) for 3 months now and I get bombarded almost all day every day and sometimes my flesh (and this causes me to doubt, if it's what I want, til I realize it doesn't matter what I want :)) wants to do it so bad it makes me mad, but I know God is trustworthy and what He says GOES when it comes to sex. So I just trust His command and pray when I'm tempted. It's intense sometimes, so I feel for ya. I'm praying for you.

JG

[cheech]

When do the attacks stop? In time :). I struggled with anger, jealousy and insecurities (lack of trust included) and although I was delivered from it over a year ago (so I thought) the Lord showed me I still struggled with it by placing situations before me and if I felt any pain that meant I had not truly turned it all over to Him.

Remember, the more the Lord may want you on that altar, the harder the enemy is going to work on you to tempt you away from it and thoughts are the number one way to do it. The enemy knows that the Lord's altar must remain clean so he will do everything he can to keep you "dirty". He continues to try and make us think we are still that old creature when in fact we are new. The sin isn't when it hits the mind (although if you entertain it, it can become sin) but when you act on the thought. You have to keep the battle away from the heart. To me the heart is like the Kingdom and when an army fights for a Kingdom they keep the war outside the Kingdom which in this case would be keeping the war in your mind and pushing it out. Once you allow the war to enter your heart then the enemy has won and gained access into the "Kingdom" declaring it his place of authority. Believe me when I say he will do everything in his power to remain the ruler.

The Lord has been doing a mighty work in healing me but over the last week it's been amazing. I remember during the midst of it all there were days I would cry out "Lord...how much longer!" and he'd respond "just a little while longer". Some days I felt as though I were barely crawling the attacks were so bad. But the Lord always gave me strength to get through another day.

Learn the fine art of surrendering. Every thought and feeling that comes to you, surrender it to the Lord asking him to take it from you. The whole time I kept asking God for the strength to fight the battle but the problem with that was eventually the weight I carried made me crash. I couldn't fight the enemy as I wasn't strong enough but the Lord gave me just enough strength to continue moving. Instead, I should have been surrendering all to the Lord...every negative hurtful feeling and thought and let him do the battling for me. If you have any wounds (pain and hurt) that seem to remain open and harm you, ask the Lord to bind up your wounds, sealing them closed with the blood of Christ. Many times addictions such as yours stem from something that's happened in the past. You must get to the root of the problem. Do you have any idea what caused your bdsm/lust/pornography? Did it just happen upon you or did something happen in your past that sent you towards it? If so, then that is what you must deal with. Ask God to bring to mind anything you may have to come to terms with and turn over to him besides this.

[JohnnieGuy]

Good post. By the way Tim Horton's is sooooo much better. ;)

[lbeaty1981]

Remember, the more the Lord may want you on that altar, the harder the enemy is going to work on you to tempt you away from it and thoughts are the number one way to do it. The enemy knows that the Lord's altar must remain clean so he will do everything he can to keep you "dirty". He continues to try and make us think we are still that old creature when in fact we are new.

I can definitely agree with this. After walking in freedom from my own sexual addictions for the last several months, I felt God leading me to share my testimony with our men's group (our focus this semester is "pursuing purity"). It wasn't even 24 hours after I brought it up to our pastor that the enemy launched one of the most blatantly obvious attacks against me that I've ever seen. Out of the blue, he offered me everything I could have ever wanted in my previous time of addiction.

God is good, though, and granted me the strength to say "no" and get out of there. A week later, I was up in front of 20 men, sharing the magnitude of His power in my life and receiving incredible blessing through it. Take heart when these afflictions come at you; more often than not, they're occurring because you're doing something Satan really doesn't want you to do. He knows what we're capable of when we begin to freely experience all that God wants in our lives, and he's gonna try everything he can to stop us from receiving it. The good news is, through the blood of Christ, he's already been defeated. :)

[cheech]

I can definitely agree with this. After walking in freedom from my own sexual addictions for the last several months, I felt God leading me to share my testimony with our men's group (our focus this semester is "pursuing purity"). It wasn't even 24 hours after I brought it up to our pastor that the enemy launched one of the most blatantly obvious attacks against me that I've ever seen. Out of the blue, he offered me everything I could have ever wanted in my previous time of addiction.

God is good, though, and granted me the strength to say "no" and get out of there. A week later, I was up in front of 20 men, sharing the magnitude of His power in my life and receiving incredible blessing through it. Take heart when these afflictions come at you; more often than not, they're occurring because you're doing something Satan really doesn't want you to do. He knows what we're capable of when we begin to freely experience all that God wants in our lives, and he's gonna try everything he can to stop us from receiving it. The good news is, through the blood of Christ, he's already been defeated. :)

Slug and I have talked about this on numerous occasions how this same thing either happens right before or right after we do something for the Lord...something to try and tarnish our characters and testimony. Much praying is required!

[turtledove]

The enemy knows our vulnerable spots..but we do have the victory in Christ. When tempted don't give in..cause everyone is tempted to slip back into old patterns once freed. As suggested here..enter into prayer consistantly. Trust God to come to your help..

Sharing this:

Psalm 40:1-3 (NIV) :bible:
"I waited patiently for the Lord;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord."

[Slug1]

He has also healed me of self-injury and being bulimic. However satan continues to attack me relentlessly with everything to try and lure me back into BDSM and pornography. God has said pray and i will deliver you and he has every time. but what i keep wondering is when are the attacks gonna stop are they ever gonna stop.

If you are going through all this while also being led to the praise and worship... keep the fight going. I have a very similar situation as I was healed of my sexual immorality and have been led to praise and worship. The battles are less as I surrender them over to God as the enemy tempts me so I "stop" attending the practices.

Do you use the authority that you have through your faith in Jesus?

[DaniHansen]

If the enemy can use us to be in our own way, then he doesn't have to use anybody else, does he?

Don't make his job easy. Get out of your own way, and let Jesus handle it. Side yourself with the Lord, and you will already have won the battle. Sin will not have dominion over us because we are not under the law but under grace. You died to sin with Jesus, yes? You were buried with Him, yes? You were raised by His Spirit with Him, yes? You are joined to Him and one spirit with Him, yes?

Live like it. Dead people don't succumb to attacks. Resurrected people live to their Lord alone and no longer to the desires of their flesh. You have a destiny to fulfill. Don't live for the things that no longer matter. :)

[baxpack7]

I'd have to say that keeping oneself busy with things of the kingdom are great ways to keep your eyes focused on the Father.