![]() ![]() * “As the elder listened to me, his eyes filled with tears,” says André. I was so moved by my father’s attitude that I broke down and cried.”Īndré gathered the courage to talk to a Christian elder, and he is glad that he did. “I reasoned that if he had been victorious, I could be too. “My father’s honesty and sincerity encouraged me greatly,” Mário says. He even admitted to Mário that he himself had battled with the habit when he was younger. Mário decided to talk to his father, who proved to be very sympathetic and understanding. You could start by saying: “May I talk to you about a problem that is bothering me a lot?” Whom should you talk to? The best person would be someone who is spiritually mature, preferably a parent. One Christian who struggled with masturbation for several years commented: “How I wish I could have summoned the courage to talk to someone about it when I was a youth! Feelings of guilt plagued me for many years, and it seriously affected my relationships with others and, above all, with Jehovah.” In your case shame might make it difficult for you to bring up the subject even to a confidant. What practical steps can you take to conquer your habit and to avoid a relapse?ĭespite the publicity given to sex in a number of lands, many people still find it difficult to talk about sex in a serious, dignified way. ( Psalm 86:5) On the other hand, he wants us to put forth effort to improve. For he himself well knows the formation of us, remembering that we are dust.” ( Psalm 103:13, 14) Yes, Jehovah takes into consideration our imperfection and is “ready to forgive” when we err. The psalmist David, who was no stranger to weakness, stated: “As a father shows mercy to his sons, Jehovah has shown mercy to those fearing him. Instead of continually berating yourself for your problem, take time to meditate on God’s love and mercy. Instead, analyze what led to the relapse, and try to avoid repeating the same pattern. When that occurs, take to heart the words of Proverbs 24:16: “The righteous one may fall even seven times, and he will certainly get up but the wicked ones will be made to stumble by calamity.” A temporary setback does not make you a wicked person. Sometimes it is easy to become downhearted after a relapse. The key is to resist the urge and never to give up your fight! ( Ephesians 4:19) Hence, if you have a problem with masturbation, you need not conclude that you have committed the unforgivable sin. ( Titus 3:3) At the same time, self-masturbation is not a form of gross sexual immorality, such as fornication. It can make you a ‘slave to various desires and pleasures,’ and it fosters attitudes that can be mentally corrupting. Strive, then, to put the matter in perspective. It can make you feel so discouraged that you just want to give up the fight.- Proverbs 24:10. ( 2 Corinthians 7:11) But excessive guilt can be counterproductive. ![]() Without a doubt, being “saddened in a godly way” can give you the incentive to overcome the habit. *Īs already noted, those who have fallen into the habit of masturbation are often plagued with guilt. You’re not alone, and your case is not hopeless! Many young people-and older ones-have struggled with masturbation and have been able to overcome it. If your feelings are similar to those of Luiz, Pedro, or André, take courage. I found it difficult to sit through Christian meetings or to participate in the ministry.” “It was a struggle to get out of bed in the morning and face the day. I would start by saying: ‘Jehovah, I don’t know whether you are going to hear this prayer, but . . .’” A young man named André had similar thoughts. “I thought that I could never atone for what I had done. “When I relapsed, I felt terrible,” he says. That is precisely how young Pedro viewed himself. After each relapse, you conclude that you are a lost cause, that you are incapable of living up to God’s righteous standards. ( Galatians 5:22, 23 2 Peter 1:5, 6) But at times you give in. ![]() You know that Jehovah would be pleased with you if you resisted the urge and exercised self-control, a fruit of God’s holy spirit. ![]() PERHAPS you, like Luiz, have been enslaved to the habit of masturbation. I felt sure that I would not make it into God’s new world.”-Luiz. ‘How could God love someone like me?’ I asked myself. Later I learned God’s view of the matter. “I began masturbating when I was eight years old. ![]()
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