THE BEST SPIRITUAL WAY TO FIGHT TEMPTATION

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
Satan advertises lust and porn as something spectacular that you have to have. God tells you in His Word that something dies or partially dies when we give in.

When I was a kid I was told repeatedly that sex before marriage was a sin... a horrible sin. I believed my parents. Avoiding that sin leads to increased happiness later.

I was almost never told that looking with lust was a disaster. I only figured that out after I was completely hooked.


There is an almost perfect parallel between how often you hear about what God says about lust and how easy or hard it is to quit.

Give me 30 Engineering students who are Christians who have memorized the verses for quitting, and you will likely see 30 students who have a sharply lower rate of porn in their future.

Give me 30 Bible students who read an occasional verse about lust, and who want to quit twice as badly as the Engineering students, and I will show you 30 students who struggle with porn for decades.

Why! We all know that Bible students are praying more, have more Christian friends, and are also attending classes on the Bible. But... the Engineering students are hearing directly from God about their habitual sin. They are getting all the information. Receiving power directly from God almighty about the sin that is plaguing them.

The good news is, you will memorize them by accident. If you are like I was 15 months ago you will be overwhelmed by lust all the time. If you fight temptation like Jesus did (with the Bible) you will know these verses. You will believe these verses, you will have confidence in these verses making your life better.

Porn kills you physically (with stress and less sleep), mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Proverbs 5:3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; 4 but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.

Verses about lust (https://www.openbible.info/topics/lust) heal you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Satan advertises lust and porn as something spectacular that you have to have. Jesus will tell you that purity and scripture are what you have to have.

If we hear Jesus' words as often as we hear satan's temptations, life will start getting great.

 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
Habits are hard to break unless we believe the Bible. Many read a verse on lust, and then explain what it means. Instead, read it, say that it is true, then do everything you can do to change.

My daughter dated a guy who could explain away any verse in the Bible. He was an expert at “his” doctrine. With “his” doctrine no change was needed. Finally, I told my daughter to interrupt him when he was explaining away a verse, and say something like, “The verse is true, I believe it, and I will change to obey this verse.”

People gather together and say “We believe” such and such in regard to what a verse means. If you want to quit, let them say what they want, but silently, ignore them. Instead, join me and say that every verse is true as written. Say that the Bible is true and that it will set us free. Say about every verse, I believe it, I receive it, and I will change to do what it says.

If you believe people's explanations for what verses “really” mean, then, habits are really hard to break. If you believe every verse “As written,” then, if you keep your focus on the pertinent verses, quitting is just a matter of time.

A determined focus on the scriptures leads to increased obedience and righteousness. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:


“For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”

Believing the Bible as written leads to dynamic prayers and a great life. Believe it.

For the full article https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/habits-are-hard-to-break.324802/
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
Quitting porn causes us to miss the dopamine rush that our former destructive habit gave us. Music can sometimes help with that.
Put on some loud Christian music and see what happens.

Psalm 95:1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!”
Make some noise, and have some fun.

Psalm 105:2 ESV
Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!”

Strive to make a habit of doing what this verse says, instead of dwelling on problems.

James 5:13 ESV
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.”

Today, I added this to my verses for daily meditation. Great stuff.

Colossians 3:16 ESV
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

Consider shutting off music that tempts you, or music that is just openly evil.

Consider praying:

“Father, help me to turn off the trash.”

Then put on some good stuff.

Psalm 150:1-6 ESV
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! ...”

David praised God eleven times in this passage. Consider reading this passage enthusiastically, exactly the way David wrote it. Then add two or three things of your own to praise God for.
Music and praise are two powerful habits to learn to replace the vacuum addiction causes. If we determine to make them permanent solutions, they will help us permanently.
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
Satan tempted Eve with an apple in the Garden of Eden. She gave in to temptation despite probably knowing God as closely as anyone in the history of the world. Why?

Satan is known as the shining one. When Eve talked with him he almost had a glow to him. When he talked to her she took in every word meticulously, as if he had something great to offer. He put on a great show then, and he still puts on a great show now.

Satan will fool everyone who is not prepared for his tricks. How to prepare:

1. Pray before and during every situation where you can be tempted:

“Father, help me to run from lust.” Every pray must be sincere with a strong desire to change.

  1. Focus on the fact that he will make a spectacular offer. It will be shiny, and beautiful and it will promise you great fun. Eve should have told satan about the 5 ways her life would be ruined if she ate the apple. We need to tell satan about the 5 ways our life will be ruined if we listen to him.

  2. Spend time in prayer every day. Pray about things you want. Pray even more about what God wants. Pray even more over scripture to learn how to do what God wants.

  3. Focus on believing God's truth. Satan conned Adam and Eve into doubting. Instead, consider saying: Following God's truth will make my life great.

  4. Focus on increasing in righteousness.

  5. I try to increase my focus on turning from lust every day.

  6. Believe the Bible, study it, meditate on it, and use it as your ultimate weapon to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Never listen for one minute to what satan is telling you. Fight him as aggressively as he fights you.

Last, the more we do these 7 steps, the more we will start to return to the Garden of Eden.

For the full article https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/create-your-own-garden-of-eden.324144/
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
The only thing a young heroin addict thinks about is the short-term fun that they want to have. Instead, they should think about being homeless, living in dangerous places, hurting relationships, and losing their relationship with God.

When temptation is about to overwhelm you, study the verses for quitting. Then, write down on a piece of paper, “Lust will cause me to lose _______. Fill in the blank 4 times, then write, “It will be twice as bad as I think.”

Preachers love to say, “Sin will take us farther than we want to go.” Saying it this way is underestimating sin as much as Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Try, “Sin will take us farther, and farther, and farther, and deeper than we want to go and ruin everything.”

Second, the Bible says in James 2:17 - Even so, faith, if it hath not works, is dead.”

In the original article, Mikey fought his way through his problems and started to try to find his purpose. He ended up with the most fun and the most joy, and he had a reason to live.

When we are 16 we believe that the person with the most girls, money, stuff, success, etc, wins. They do, but they don't have the most joy. They don't even have the most fun, because they always get themselves in trouble and are ruined by their short-term fun.

If you want joy, an abundant life, and purpose, commit yourself to God. Consider praying:

“Father, show me what you want me to think about.”

“Father, show me what you want me to do.”

 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
The Bible is more important for quitting if you pray a lot and don't do what the Bible says. Prayer is an unused weapon if all you do is go to church and read a chapter of the Bible every day. The point is... satan wins when we are unbalanced in either direction. Most every person reading this is unbalanced and is on one side or the other (including the writer).

Some of you would be shocked to learn that my unbalance is not enough scripture and plenty of prayer. Since I more often tell you to read and study scripture all of the time. Why? Because I am trying to be more balanced.

Satan will use whatever you don't do enough to keep you in bondage.

Second, and this is just my opinion. Satan hates it when we study the Bible and when we pray, but he prefers for us to be unbalanced with less Bible study. Why? I spent decades praying about lust. Praying about anger, and greed. But then, in a moment of clarity, I started attacking these issues with Bible verses about them.

I am not saying prayer did not work for me. It did. I prayed and prayed and prayed about anger and God delivered me from that. But if you ask me today how to attack your anger, I will tell you to first look up verses on anger so that you can study, meditate and dwell on them until Jesus' truth about anger starts filling you up. Then, pray, pray, and pray consistently about anger to prepare for your next temptation.

But... I had such a stronghold of lust. Prayer alone did not work for me. The truth is, I really needed all that prayer, plus a focus on purpose, plus those Bible verses to pound it out of me.

Third; today, be honest about which discipline you don't do enough. Then consider praying:

“Father, show me how to be balanced.”

If you are a Bible pounder and you don't know how to pray. You are going to be shocked by what happens when you dig into prayer. If you love to pray and never give the Bible a thought other than a quick chapter a day. You will be shocked by the power it brings you when you dig into scripture about things you want changed in your life (It works better when the things are God's will).

Satan wants you unbalanced. Satan wants you in bondage.

Jesus wants you balanced. Being balanced more than doubles your weapons of warfare.

Double your weapons today, and determine to change your former lack of balance into a current strength. It will be a great decision.

For the full article https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/is-the-bible-or-prayer-more-important-for-quitting.322975/
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
Satan tells us what we can get away with looking at, the same way he told Eve she could eat the apple. If we listen to him, we will get the same results she did. He tells us, you can look at ______, if that does not work he will say, you can get away with looking at _______. Or, it's not so bad if you look at ______.

Is it some huge sin if I stare a bit at a female who is not perfectly clothed? To understand the answer we need to review what we are supposed to be doing. If we were watching a movie last night we were supposed to be praising God during it, worshiping Him, and praying about what He wants us to do today, and what He wants us to do for the rest of our lives.

If we “cheat” and look at some borderline things in the movie we will certainly fail completely in doing what God wanted us doing. When we are busy doing what God wants us doing, it will be obvious when “cheating” is just plain old sin. Another ploy of satan that would have eventually sunk us.

Think about it, satan wanted to sink you last night, but he is real smart. If he fails in sinking you immediately he is happy to plant a seed in your heart so that you will sink later.

We are either raising our standards of turning from lust, or we are starting to fall into his trap. There is no middle ground. It's one or the other.

Last, consider praying about two points:

“Father, show me what I am supposed to be doing.”

“Father, help me to raise the standards in turning from lust.”

No cheating. Higher standards. Success.
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
Today you might be triggered by a swim meet, TV show, walking at the mall, etc. If we wait to pray after we start to be triggered we have already started to have trouble. Today I will use the example of trying out some new TV show that we think is clean.

The second we put it on we should consider praying, “Father, help me to turn from lust.” Even if it starts out clean within two minutes we should quote something like: Psalm 106:3 ESV Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!

Two minutes later we should consider praying, “Father, help me to turn aggressively from sin.”

Two minutes later we should consider praying, “Father, help me to run from lust.”

So... am I recommending praying something every two minutes? Nope, if you need to pray something every 30 seconds, do that. Whatever it takes to be prepared – do that. The point is to make sure your mind is focused on what you want before the temptation starts.

Second, always watch TV with the remote in your hand and always pray another prayer when temptation starts. The point is, we need a clear head when something risky starts. Yes, we can and must fast-forward it while we cover our eyes, but we must also have a clear head about making a good decision.

The Decision

Is it a short scene that does not show much at all? In that case, we can choose to fast forward and move on.

But what if they show too much? Or, if they keep on showing the wrong things. Stop and consider praying: “Father, should I stop watching this?”

Sometimes you will get a clear answer of “stop” if you pray that. But, sometimes satan has just fooled us again. We hit play, then four minutes later we “know,” the show is pure trash. Then we say, “If I don't stop, my life will be pure trash.” We stop.

Why go to all this effort? The Bible says in Matthew 6:

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

Consider praying: “Father, help me to not give up my “light” for a stupid TV show, or for a few wrong looks when I am out.”

First, be ready for temptation. Second, be ready to review the consequences at that moment. Third, keep praying and fight to make the right decisions. Forth, highly value living in the light. Fifth, there are plenty of clean TV shows.

For the full article https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/praying-about-triggers.323239/
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
Psalm 27:10 ESV
For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.

This is a great verse to read every hour during each of the holidays. Spending time in the Word and in prayer has special meaning during these times. God knows about your exact situation and He cares.

Isaiah 41:10 ESV
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

When we focus on Godly things, He will strengthen us. Your future will be brighter after He strengthens you.

John 14:18 ESV
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

If you study ten of my articles during this holiday, they will really push you. But... life starts to really improve when we buy into the “I will come to you” part of the verse. When we focus on doing things God's way, change happens. When we go to war with sin, change happens. When we change first, the above promise starts to become a reality.

Psalm 147:3 ESV
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

Read this every hour when you are lonely.

Psalm 25:16 ESV
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.”

David repented, then prayed this prayer. Then the Bible says that the Lord's Spirit returned to him.

Matthew 6:33 ESV
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

We start to get what we want in life when we follow this verse. This verse helped me overcome a lot of my issues. Read, study, meditate, and memorize these verses when loneliness overwhelms you. They are life-changing.

For the full article https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/loneliness.331025/
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
I wrote that we shouldn't stare at a woman who was not modestly covered, last week. Someone replied and disagreed. I certainly disagreed when I was younger as well. What changed?

God freed the Israelites from Egypt's slavery. God wanted them to do exactly what He wanted, then He wanted them to go straight to the promised land. But life was tough in the desert. So some of them gave in to their lust. Here is a quote Paul made about the Israelites: 1 corinthians 10:8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died."

Ouch! But what about the Israelites who just committed some borderline staring? What happened to them? They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and then died.

If we want to enjoy the borderline things of this world, then we “Want to go back to Egypt.” That way is choosing (even the borderline) pleasures of this world instead of exactly what God wants.

Instead, we can start doing what God wants us to do and head for the promised land. Consider praying:

“Father, help me to focus on doing things Your way.”

God had things for the children of Israel “to do” on their way straight into the promised land. Consider praying:

“Father, take away this spirit of lust, and show me what you want me to do.”

This week, every time you start to think a lustful thought, stop, and think about how the Israelite's sin caused them to wander in the desert. Then pray about being in God's will.

Last, write down things you need “to do,” in order to head in the direction of your promised land. God wants you to have a great life. The rules exist so that we can “know” exactly how to live in order to have a great abundant life.

For the full article https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/do-we-know-better.326511/
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
Colossians 3:5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

Why should I memorize this verse? Because sometimes I feel uncomfortable telling people my hard-core methods for quitting. But if God is telling us to “put to death” sexual immorality, maybe I am too soft as often as I am too hard-core. Consider praying:

“Father, show me what the words “put to death” regarding lust means. Help me to focus on putting it to death.”

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13.

If we focus on running from sin, we will live. If we focus on what the Bible says about lust, we will live. If we pray always to prepare for temptation, we will live. If we turn aggressively from sin we will find peace.

These verses make me want to push myself away from sin more and more. I think that is a good thing.

For the full article https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/the-most-important-thing.322566/
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
4 months ago I tore my shoulder. For 1 month I ignored it. Now for 2 months, I have done rehab every day. Today, I finally read the instructions. I did a Google search asking: Should I do rehab every day? The experts all agree. Do it every other day for the best results.

I started this article one week ago. Now that I have changed my rehab to every other day, and am following the instructions, my arm has healed more this week than it had in the previous month.

Consider learning from my mistakes. Read the instructions first... then do life.

Second, some Christians read a chapter of the New Testament every day (everyone should do that), others add a chapter in the Old Testament, others add meditating on key verses, others add memorizing key verses, and others do a Google search on key subjects and study those verses.

Using Google

Today I am doing Google searches on verses about healing, and love. I am going to study each of these topics. Why? Because these are topics I want to get stronger in today.

Consider searching topics like verses about love, purpose, lust, righteousness, wisdom, praise, and Jesus. I often use the open Bible lists. Or search about an emotion that you need help with.

When we have an anger problem and search for verses on anger we unleash power. Every time we study, meditate, and think about those verses, the Holy Spirit fills us (Always repent of past sin before you start). Whichever topic you pick, the Holy Spirit starts to fill you when you study that topic. So, consider printing them out, praying over them, meditating on them, and memorizing them.

The girl who cut my hair said: “I wish there were instructions for life.” There are, and when we know the instructions, we start to find success, purpose, and joy.

Finally, all of these topics that we search help with lust. When we study other Bible topics, the Spirit starts to increase in us. The more the Spirit fills us, the more we conquer lust.
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
Our focus should be to desire God instead of looking with lust. Thegospelcoalition.org noted:

“When we are confronted by our hearts, we are forced to make a choice between that which God calls beautiful and which our sinful hearts call beautiful.”
They continue with a comment on porn:

“You have exchanged the beauty of God for the beauty of a fleeting image. Your sinful heart has just robbed the glory of God of what is due him by ascribing glory and beauty to this image.”

They continue with “The solution:

"Your chief defense against sinful lust is an all-out offensive of sanctified lust if you will. It is to set our hearts upon the supremacy, sufficiency, and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is in this posture of continual satisfied delight in Jesus that the lusts of our flesh and this world evaporate into vapors like the steam on our morning coffee.”

Moses cried out for a glimpse of God's glory. Consider praying:

“Father, show me a bit of Your glory.” They continue:

“We must come to the Word of God to have our minds shaped and conformed by God. He says he is infinitely beautiful and worthy to be the unceasing object of our satisfaction and delight. Do you agree? Can you look back at him and say, “This is my beloved Savior with whom I am well-pleased?

Friends, can we not find ourselves in agreement with God as to His beauty? We must come to the Word of God to have our minds shaped and conformed by God. He says he is infinitely beautiful and worthy to be the unceasing object of our satisfaction and delight. Do you agree? Can you look back at him and say, “This is my beloved Savior with whom I am well-pleased!”

If you do, then your cravings and lust for things of this world and of your flesh will be starved out by your relentless enjoyment and pursuit of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Colossians 3:1-4Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory."
You are putting to death lustful passions with your ceaseless passion for Jesus Christ, “keep seeking the things above”… “Set your mind on the things above...”

They continue:

“And as a result, the Christian is to see that all of the apparent competition and rivals to Jesus are completely eclipsed by his resumé! He is seen to be absolutely supreme and sufficient and so therefore the only choice for your worship. He is it.

To see Jesus as supreme and sufficient is to see everything else as insufficient and lacking. To see anything as worthy of your lust is to see Jesus as lacking. To seek goodness outside of what God has called good is to appraise Jesus and find him lacking. We need to think like this. We need to live like this.”

They finish with this:

This is why it is so critical to be in the Word of God daily. To find ourselves in subjection to the Divine Word, that we might have our minds transformed and renewed according to the will of God, that we would think his thoughts after him, appraising that which is excellent and rejecting that which is sinful (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 5:1-2). Furthermore, we are to drive the Word deep into our hearts through prayer and contemplative meditation; for we are people who need our hearts broken and reminded of the absolute beauty and attractiveness of God so that we might see and savor his supremacy and sufficiency in all things. There is little doubt that this is what Paul had in mind as he writes these words in Colossians 3.

Colossians 3:16-17Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."

How do we fight lust? We fight lust with lust. That is, a ceaseless pursuit of the delight of God, which is a delight in God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Great stuff. For the complete article https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/erik-raymond/fig
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
Isaiah 60:1 ESV Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”
We need as much of the glory of God in our lives as possible. If we are empty of the glory, satan's tricks will always work on us. We need to copy Moses and pray: “Please show me your glory.”

We start to live in God's glory when we do what He wants us to do. We start to live in God's glory when we go to Him for our pleasure. We start to live in God's glory when we desire His beauty and greatness, not the beauty of …

Revelation 21:11 ESV
Having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.”

We increase the glory of God in our lives when we trust God completely. The more we read and obey the Bible, the more we will trust God, and the more we will experience His glory.

Redbarnchurch.com noted the following:

“It is said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. People who strive to be like God bring glory to God. When we imitate the character of Jesus, we glorify Him. When we are loving and righteous in a world of hate and evil, we give testimony that God’s ways are good.”

We increase the glory of God in our lives when we try to live like Jesus.

Psalm 72:19 ESV
Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!

We increase the glory of God in our lives when we work on the habit of running from lust. We are to flee sexual immorality and glorify God in our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20).

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Redbarn finished with this:

“Let God’s glory FLOW – faith, love, obedience & witness!

Everything God does is for one purpose, and that is that He is glorified. The heavens are pouring forth speech and telling of the glory of God day after day (Psalm 19:1-2). When we live for God’s glory, we join in with the stars of the universe.

When we live for the glory of God, we live with great purpose. God designs us to give Him glory. Jesus says one of the reasons He came is so our joy will be full.

God promises that there is great reward and satisfaction when we think, speak, and act with the purpose of glorifying Him. The trajectory of everything in the universe is that the knowledge of the glory of the LORD will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).

The question we must ask ourselves is this: Is the glory of God worthy of our lives? Do we believe in God’s glory to such an extent that we are willing to live as sold-out Christians? The ones who God says, well-done thou good and faithful servant are those who are faithful to glorify Him with their lives.”

Exodus 40:34-35 ESV
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.”

Studying verses on glory leads to a little bit of glory. Consider doing it often.
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
The next day Mikey comes into my room. "I started slipping up again," he said.
"Oh-oh."
"Yeah, I was watching TV and I kept staring at something that was a bit past borderline."
"Was it a clean show," I asked?
"Sort of, maybe."
"I tell myself all the time - there is a lot of clean stuff out there, but satan is very tricky."
"So, I did catch myself. I repented of it quickly. But then, later that day I was watching a clean show, and I was
staring incessantly at the wrong things. She was fully clothed, but my mind got changed by that one slip."
"I have been there. We let the darkness in for 2 seconds, and it stays with us until we fight with everything we have to get it out again. How did you get it out? I asked.
"I had to fight and fight to turn from lust. I kept turning fast from anything even remotely bad. I also started praising God during the show. It took a while, but then I finally felt the peace of God with me again. I am not sure why this happened? he said."
"What was your goal for this month," I asked.
"Raise the standards of turning from lust every day, because when I get lazy, the slipping begins. That was not what I did."
"But that was the past," I said.
"Now it will be what I do," he said with a smile.

For the full story https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/god-will-help-you.335698/
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
Matthew 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”

Christians run the spectrum of light-filled lives from a value of 1 to 100. When our eyes are always pure we are at 100. But, if we fall every 75 days, is our level of light at 75% combined with 25% darkness? Maybe. But, if we fall every 25 days, is our level of light at 50% combined with 50% darkness? Who knows? But, if we fall every 7 days, is our level of light at 30% combined with 70% darkness?

While I am just guessing at these numbers, I have had periods in my life where I fell every 7 days. I will say that I did not have a lot of light in my life, even after repenting, for the 6 clean days.

The point of this article is not to have perfect math. The point is that I underestimated what it would be like to quit. I did not understand how great it would be to live fully in the light.

When we fully live in the light, our joy is rocketing to a state of fullness of joy. Our peace becomes complete, we find contentment and purpose. Consider praying:

“Father, give me a glimpse of a life that is fully living in the light.”

I have thought about, prayed about, meditated on, and memorized the above verse. You can't really study it too much.

Finally, it is impossible to spend “too much time,” in your daily quest to fill your life with light. The gain will be far greater than you can imagine.
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
To resist satan we must humble ourselves, and submit to God. Crosswalk.com noted:

“Submitting to God means elevating his Word above our own desires, yielding ourselves to God’s revealed will in the Scriptures, and desperately calling to him in prayer to ask for “grace to help in time of need”

They also said that the devil can't overpower a person who is “submitting to and actively pursuing Jesus.”

They also make a great point regarding the armor of God passage:

“It is his strength (Ephesians 6:10) and his armor (Ephesians 6:11) that guards us against the devil’s fiery darts (Ephesians 6:16).”

We pray for his strength, we put on His armor, and we fight back with His Word.

Gotquestions.org noted:

“Using the Scriptures to expose Satan’s lies and temptations is the most effective way to strive against and defeat them. They continue: It is important to read the whole verse: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Resisting the devil must be accompanied by submitting to God. A disobedient or unsubmissive believer will not see victory.”

Solutions

Repent of our sinful desires. Consider praying:

“Father, help me to run from sinful pleasures. Teach me how to make You my pleasure.”

Second, put on the breastplate of righteousness. Consider praying:

“Father, show me how important it is to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6). Help me to increase my fight against sin.”

Third, elevate His Word. Know it and quote it to satan.

Fourth, it is wise to yield ourselves to God's will.

Lastly, seek ye the Lord. I will repeat a sentence from above. The devil can't overpower a person who is “submitting to and actively pursuing Jesus.”
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
“Wear a rubber band on your wrist and try these six ideas about what to say about bad thoughts. Every time you have a lustful thought, #1 think about something good that has happened in the last 3 days. #2 Say: I believe that pure thoughts will lead to a great life. #3 Say: I reject satan's lies. I accept God's view that lust destroys. #4 My goal is to put off my old self. Lord, guide my thoughts. #5 Jesus, thank you for the cross. I will think about Your cross. #6 Pray: “Father, teach me how to be fully committed to You.”

Last, start a “How to think right” file. Fill it with quotes about what to think about. You can change the way you think. It may take 66 days or longer, but you can do it.

For the full article https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/snap-it.327063/
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
Ephesians 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.”

I am adding this to the verses I meditate on.

My dad believed the Bible. Because of his strong faith, he lived a good productive life.

Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

My dad read a chapter in the New Testament, and a chapter in the Old Testament every day. He almost never explained a verse away. He believed the verses as written.

Read the Bible, listen to it on CD in your car, listen on YouTube, memorize, meditate, and pray over it. Why? Because the 1st verse says above all.

James 1:22-24 (NKJV) offers a second way to increase your faith: But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Many read articles at NoFap. Less people are doers of what the articles say. Consider becoming a fanatic doer of what the articles say, becoming a fanatic doer of what the Bible says to do.

Last, find Christians who are doers of the Word. Spend time with them, eat with them, and find out if being a doer of the Word really brings joy (it does).

I was, and am convinced of Christianities's truth to the highest degree. This faith started me down a path to where it was possible to quench the fiery darts of the wicked.

For the full article https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/armor-against-p.336151/
 

Gordon 7

Well-Known Member
Psalm 16:8 I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”

Rodney Kleyn noted the following:

“To set the Lord before him means to have a deliberate and conscious resolve to have God, front and center, in all of his life and in all of his thinking, so that the thought of God captivates all of his senses and all his activity and focus in life. Notice the psalmist says he will do this always, in every situation, whatever comes his way, in every pleasure, in every trouble. Nothing in his life will be a distraction, to take his thoughts and his mind and his eye of faith away from God. In every responsibility, in every relationship, in every temptation, in every difficulty, even in the prospect of death, he will not be distracted from the reality of God.

In the second part of the verse, the psalmist speaks of the resulting strength: “Because he is at my right hand,” he says, “I shall not be moved.” The psalmist is in a solid position. He is strong. He does not waver or doubt, and that is because he knows that the Lord God, Jehovah, the faithful, unchanging covenant God, is at his right hand and is his helper.”

We have 3 examples to follow in a fight with lust. We can try to be like Jesus who said, “Be ye perfect.” When we fight to be like Jesus we get on a rocket ship to find joy.

We can follow Joseph's example of trusting God in hard times. Joseph had faith in God even when in prison. 2nd, if we spend enough time working on it as he did, we can all develop the habit of turning from lust.

We can follow David who said he will set the Lord before him in every trouble. When disaster strikes, turn to God. In every pleasure, set the Lord before you. In every difficulty, always be aware that God's way is best.

Finally, I added this verse about “Setting the Lord before me,” in a version that ended with, “I shall not be shaken.” Satan knocks me off my focus of keeping my eyes on Jesus. This verse inspires me to keep my eyes on Jesus, and on the abundant life, He offers.

“The pursuit of purity is not about the suppression of lust, but about the reorientation of one’s life to a larger goal.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

For the full article https://forum.nofap.com/index.php?threads/david-and-joseph.326676/
 
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