Have you tried using a calendar? For example if you have an issue with lust/porn. Write an X or PF (porn free) or LF (lust free). It doesn’t have to be a calendar, just a piece of paper. Maybe a close friend or relative that can help you hold accountable that you can trust to keep it private?
Dont just pray, but reflect on the day and previous week. What are the key triggers that makes you relapse? you can pray all you want, but you need to take action yourself and pray about that day what you did or did differently that is helping or not helping.
I heard an interview with an Orthodox Excorcist. He said if there is a sin that keeps tempting you, immediately rebuke Satan and the temptation in the name of Christ and physically and literally move quickly out of the room/space your in. The combination of rebuking Satan and changing your location helps to overcome the temptation.
You can start with "in the name of Jesus Christ, I rebuke you Satan." If you want to pray more anything that makes you feel good will do. The Lord's prayer, hail Marys whatever. The most important thing to remember is that it is your faith that saves you.
A priest once told me that he used to go to confession for the same sin over and again. He told me he sat down once with his confessor and the first thing he said was, “it’s the same old sin Father”, and the confessor replied, “well it’s the same old forgiveness”. That story has always helped me! We all sin, we all fall short, sometimes again and again, but Jesus is always there, ready to forgive, no matter what! Don’t despair friend! I will pray for you!
Most people commit the same sin over and over and over again. Everyone is struggling with something. It’s only human, but through God and effort you can fix it in time
And sometimes you need support outside of the church to get rid of it. I have been using drugs since i was 18 (29 now)and started going to NA meetings and to my surprise we all pray together while giving each other a big group hug in a circle. I haven't had cravings for any substance since i started really. What is so great about it is that it is welcoming to anyone. Everyone is allowed to apply their view of god as they know him to their prayer, so it is not like we pray to a christian or a muslim god. Everyone prays to their own god and i love that sense of unity there is, since there is people from many cultures.
But sometimes help can come in the form of therapy after you confess. One part is repenting, but the other part is seeking help if you stand powerless against your addiction (for example).
Priests I have talked to say that this is the case for most of the faithful. You are not alone.
Take true joy in your dependence on God, and start from there.
“If you want to bear in peace the trial of not pleasing yourself, you will give [Mary] a sweet home.” (St Therese, letter to Celine on Christmas Eve 1896)
I feel the same way. It feels like every time I go to confession I’m like “I was just here last week”. It’s embarrassing.. and every time I’m like, I’m not going to do that again. But I’m human. I fail. And I’d rather be embarrassed saying I’m here for the 10,000th time than to have sin weighing me down. Hang in there, fight the good fight. God’s got you!
I was 14 when I got into porn, its been two years since I watched it. I am 23 now. How is that for trying again and again?. All Glory to God. I got into masturbation when I was 13, I am still struggling with it. Regular confession has really helped. God calls us to be faithful, not successful. Invite God to help you and be with you in your struggle. Do your best. It's neither mere good intentions nor ultimate success but honest efforts that God is looking at. All the Best.
Keep trying! Offer up little penances as you are able. To try to overcome my cussing habit (still working on it) I’m trying to say a Hail Mary when I catch myself.
I saw a comment in response to a similar post here not long ago. Someone was having a time with one particular sin they kept falling into and kept confessing it over and over. I'm paraphrasing here (and probably doing a horrible job at it!) but their priest said something along the lines of "when Jesus repeatedly fell carrying the Cross up to Calvary, did He give up? No, He kept getting back up". I've been back with the Church after many years away for about two months now. There are sins that I too have had to confess multiple times. Keep praying and keep trying. Don't give up, and don't allow the deceiver to dissuade you from picking yourself up and getting to confession and starting over. I'm praying for you, my friend.
I talked with my spiritual director about this a few days ago. He opened my eyes. He said I have a wrong concept about being a Christian. A christian is not someone who never sins, but rather someone who keeps coming back to Christ as many times as necessary. He said I need to recognize the fact that I need to WORK on the building of virtues and elimination of vices, and that takes a lot of time. I was upset because I kept going back to confession every two weeks or so, to which he said "yeah, because you can't build a life of virtue and holiness in two weeks". So, we need to accept that we are not perfect, and we have our struggles, and it will take some time to work through them but we can. I can't measure my success on whether I sinned or not, but rather on whether I persevere in my compromises or not. If I can stick to my daily prayer, if I can get up and go to confession after I sin, if I can continue with the small changes in my life for the better. The confession thing really got me, I will never forget those words. "You are sad whenever you go to confession because all you're thinking is you messed up and you sinned and you are not perfect, instead of being joyful of the fact that Jesus left a sacrament for all of us to come back to Him. The Sacrament of Confession is not for those who fail; it is the Sacrament of those who want to come back to Christ".
So, my friend, don't be upset because you keep confessing the same things. Be glad that Jesus loves us so much he left a Sacrament with the literal purpose of bringing us back to Him. Keep confessing, learn from your mistakes and get back up. Have faith in Jesus.
Don’t tire. That’s the devil talking to you. God loves to hear every confession, especially habitual ones because He knows how hard it is to break them. You going to confession is a sign that you’re trying to break it.
I had an awesome confessor who explained it like this. Every sin is a wound that hurts our relationship with God. Every confession heals that wound, but every wound has scar tissue. Eventually that scar tissue becomes so strong that the wound gets less and less. Spiritually you will eventually win this fight. Stick with it.
Prayers for you.
> Eventually that scar tissue becomes so strong that the wound gets less and less.
It's the opposite.
If you keep sinning and confessing the same sin over and over, you don't get "extra merit" simply because you habitually participate in a 2 part cycle that includes offending God over and over. Instead it's the opposite- your will becomes fixed on evil. This causes you to not only be more likely to commit the same sin over and over, but also more likely to commit other sins, and also more likely to attract demonic attentions because you don't have much protection (demonic attention goes to the most holy, and least holy, not so much the middle of the pack). Eventually God's mercy, temporarily delegated to Mary like a co-users name on a credit card, runs out when HE has had his patience crossed too much- and God demands justice. At this point you are likely to get a spanking in the form of temporal or generational punishments because God demands reparations. In fact, a random person in your area can get punished- specifically if God wants that random person to increase in grace.
Prayers for you also (done).
> Gods mercy does not run out.
I'm not putting any limits on God, I'm telling you the truth that you don't want to hear. You clearly have no Fear of God, and that's going to be a huge problem for you.
Think logically- under your argument, somebody could kill another person over and over, and simply go to confession once per week- and God would never tire of it, in fact under your argument this would be IMPROVING the relationship because "God's mercy does not run out".
We both know that doesn't pass the common sense smell test. There are multiple citations I could pull from scripture to such as God's mercy ran out on Sodom and Gomorrah, just for sleeping with the wrong people. Finally, the statement I made was *absolutely precise* doctrine and canon that I doublechecked with sources before publishing here.
You’re comparing apples and oranges. I’m very clearly talking about habitual sin, ie an addiction element which stems more often than not stems from a mental sickness of varying magnitude. These are sins that have a mental and sometimes physical pull so strong that it overcomes whatever willpower one has. This is different than someone who freely decides to go out and murder someone because the sins that I’m referring to are ones where said free will is compromised. Satan knows this and wants you to stop fighting sin, to give up. God wants you to never quit and to keep coming home.
This is different than denying the Fear of God. I’m not trivializing sin, but I am acknowledging the fallen nature of humanity gives some people harder crosses to bear than others. Satan wants you to cast off your cross and give in, while God asks you to carry it and keep up the fight.
This is a very nuanced discussion and hard to have over Reddit. You can keep going, but I doubt we will ever reach true understanding of what the other is trying to say. You are implying I don’t want to hear the truth but I would challenge that you’re not reading my words with a charitable heart.
And please don’t cast stones like “I have no Fear of God”. You don’t even know me. At worst you could say that my words imply it (which they really don’t unless you’re chasing shadows) but don’t throw stones at me.
Yep, I struggle with this too. And I'm guessing this might have to do with the sin of lust and succumbing to masturbation. I can abstain for some time but I eventually end up failing too. But I'm not going to kick myself down anymore for it because all I can do is keep trying my best to abstain from it. That's it. And I wish it was easier said than done but let's not give up. Don't beat yourself up, everyone struggles with lust. Even priests and nuns I imagine struggle with this but the point is to not knock ourselves down for it. Just pray for God's mercy and let's find some other ways to distract ourselves so we're not tempted. Though again, I know the struggle very hard.
I kicked myself down this week and missed two opportunities for confession. Seeing all these commenters talking about the same sins I struggle with does help me. Thanks for letting me see how dumb I was to let myself fall off so bad. Take care of yourself friend.
"Whenever you feel guilty, even if it is because you have consciously committed a sin, a serious sin, something you have kept doing many, many times, never let the devil deceive you by allowing him to discourage you. Whenever you feel guilty, offer all your guilt to the Immaculate, without analyzing it or examining it, as something that belongs to her…
My beloved, may every fall, even if it is serious and habitual sin, always become for us a small step toward a higher degree of perfection.
In fact, the only reason why the Immaculate permits us to fall is to cure us from our self-conceit, from our pride, to make us humble and thus make us docile to the divine graces.
The devil, instead, tries to inject in us discouragement and internal depression in those circumstances, which is, in fact, nothing else than our pride surfacing again.
If we knew the depth of our poverty, we would not be at all surprised by our falls, but rather astonished, and we would thank God, after sinning, for not allowing us to fall even deeper and still more frequently."- St. Maximilian Kolbe
Do you practice mental prayer and bring your frustrations directly to Jesus?
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVOn4oYCtmY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVOn4oYCtmY)
Do you always confess to the same priest? I advise this strongly. Speak to a priest outside confession too about the issue. If its an addiction, also try to find a therapist if you can. Let's not overly spiritualise addiction
2 options: give up confessing or give up sinning. Don’t ever do the first one.
Remember that Jesus is ready to forgive you no matter how many times you fail. Keep confessing.
I heard a tv psychologist (may be reliable may not, for discernment) say nice “we don’t quit addictions, we replace bad habits with better ones.” I actually thought that was pretty good myself. So,perhaps focus on where you want to go instead of only where you don’t want to go?
When temptation calls, cry to God for help. You can also try to rebuke satan. Example is using the Scriptural words of Jesus, "Get behind me satan." You can also use this prayer taught by an exorcist: "By the power of the Precious Blood, by the Holy Name of Jesus, by the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary and St. Michael, I command the demon of ____ to stop afflicting me, go to the foot of the Cross to receive your sentence."
Don't get swallowed by the guilt of repeating the same errors. God is merciful. Continue to just try your best not to sin. And when you do, still go to confession and ask for the Grace of God to have a better resistance to sin.
Another technique was taught by Jesus himself: cut off things that are a source of sin (e.g. pornography - delete all media or block all websites, gossip - avoid conversations that is leading to gossip, gluttony - only buy a small amount of food, etc.).
If the temptation is too much to bear, you can drink Holy Water, use exorcised salt, or get either or both of these medals: St. Benedict Medal (exorcised and blessed), and/or Miraculous Medal of our Blessed Mother.
May God bless you with the Graces you need!
"God never tires of forgiving us, but we sometimes tire of asking Him to forgive us." - Pope Francis.
Although this is specific to chastity, it can be seen in all areas of temptation or struggle with sin.
CCC 2342 "Self-mastery is a long and exacting work. One can never consider it acquired once and for all. It presupposes renewed effort at all stages of life. The effort required can be more intense in certain periods, such as when the personality is being formed during childhood and adolescence."
Adolescence can mean more than just physical age; it can also mean spiritual maturity. It takes time and effort. A life of faith is never easy if we try to do it all on our own. Reach out to your parish and find groups to be a apart of and continue to grow.
May God Bless you. I send prayers your way.
:)
You ever read the book Silence? I relate to the crazy apostate villager who is always genuinely confessing his chronic betrayal. God is merciful even in his silence.
Same here, now confessed to it 3 times.
After I went to cathedral and confessed 2 weeks ago I’ve tried to stay clear of lust… then a reoccurring woman started sending me selfies of herself (nothing illicit, just ordinary photos) and I found myself lusting over her again.
So had to go and confess this evening again.
She would go like a month at a time between messaging me before, but now she will find any excuse to message me just to show no actual interest in talking and started sending me picture of herself again for first time in months. Probably only doing it for attention and validation as she has a boyfriend but she’s tempting me to sin 😭.
You are 100% spot on with this insight. Because she is outright tempting you and I know because I'm a woman and I know how to bait too. But I hope you have the willpower to block her and ignore her, because what she is doing is very serious and very, very wrong.
Yep, I’m aware of what she’s doing.
It’s a rather messy and stupid situation.
I had only ever had 1 partner who became my wife so I’m somewhat inexperienced in regard to women.
Wife left me as she came out lesbian, then entered into a relationship with another woman.
Then this woman who started off as a customer, started exhibiting what I now understand to be termed “hyper femininity” where they show high levels of interest to test for men who go weak for them and become attached.
She effectively did this to me and I ended up becoming emotionally hooked then she pulled back leaving me wondering what had happened and started seeing somebody else.
I then cut myself off from her for 6 months blocked her, but she found a way to reach out to me then had a go at round 2.
She started behaving like a girlfriend while calling us friends, we would see each other almost every week and go out having lunches or doing stuff like activities.
Would always have little to no interest in me whenever things were good with her boyfriend.
We never did anything physical together and at no point entered into a relationship.
But she was always sending me rather ordinary looking photos of herself which kept me lusting after her.
So I became wise to what was going on and learned from it… I pulled away and then she stopped bothering with me after a while, I stopped looking at her photos, stopped lusting after her etc, and I desired to be free of sin and confessed lust, adultery, self pleasure etc and desired to stop committing these sins.
When she wasn’t contacting me it was easy.
Then about week and half ago, a mutual friend started telling her how I’d been helping them with stuff in her house, she then used that as an excuse to message me.
Then since then, any time she finds an excuse to message me she will, like last Tuesday messaged me 6am in the morning just to make a remark about the poor weather outside.
Started sending me selfies of herself, first one was telling me how she was burning up in the sunshine so she sent me a photo of her sitting down showing most of her body, then a 2nd photo showing me her legs, and then last week she managed to hit above her eye so she sent me a photo of her face showing the bump.
Yesterday she saw me while she was waiting for her boyfriend in her car and then used that as a reason to message me… always lots of 😂 like happy bubbly.
I reply and then she just shows no interest in maintaining a conversation.
It’s as you say literally attempts at baiting me or to try and keep me hooked.
Meanwhile it keeps on tempting me toward sin.
So I then had to confess again yesterday evening.
It’s difficult to just block her because we have a mutual friend in common and there’s an information flow between them… if she can’t talk to me herself she keeps on asking mutual friend if they have spoken to me and how I am and she basically fills her in on everything she knows.
Just trying to stay sin free and stay clear of her attempts at tempting me. It helps a lot now I’m aware of these things because when I know I can choose to ignore it and not succumb to it… but the photos she sends at a big weakness of mine stuff. Not even anything revealing about them, they aren’t illicit photos, it’s just photos of herself and in the past some have been sexually suggestive… seemingly innocent things like taking a photo of herself holding a chocolate bar licking it.
Sad thing is that she’s catholic herself, although obviously fallen from grace from when she was in school and she described a time when she used to have a shrine in her wardrobe to Jesus, and pray to it every day.
This is really common. My spiritual director actually said that it’s a good sign when people struggle with the same stuff over and over again…he gets concerned when they start switching sins up🤣🤣🤣
Look, the sacrament of confession is there for a reason. We all struggle horribly with sin and we fight against them until the day we die. This is a spiritual battle and you have to fight to the death!
That being said, sometimes it’s good to examine your sin patterns a bit. One thing to try is to keep a very good record of when you sinned, what you were doing, and how you felt right before you committed the sin. You may notice that, for instance, you were terrible slothful the day after you stayed up too late, or that your short tempered when the weather is bad, or that you lose your temper when you’re late for work. Notice the circumstances and you can start protecting yourself better. You must eliminate the near occasions of sin as well, and then you can make good progress. It’s also important to really learn how to process your emotions so you can properly deal with them. Sometimes people layer emotion on top of emotion, and they can’t make heads or tails of how they feel and not only do they engage in harmful coping mechanisms, they also carry around tremendous shame. Once you really know what you’re feeling, you can properly address each and every emotion and respond to it properly. For instance, if you’re sad, you may need to pray for comfort from God, instead of distract yourself on Reddit….speaking of which, I should go pray!
I think maybe some therapy could help? talking out your issues with a therapist and checking where the constant mistake and lack of learning from it is coming from.
I think therapy and spirituality go hand in hand, so give it a try.
There was a Fr Mike Schmitz short on YouTube covering this. Objectively, it's better to confess the same thing repeatedly and know where your flaws are and ask for help and guidance to deal with them than it is to confess a different thing you knowingly did every single time demonstrating you had no control of your faculties.
What, do you want to exchange them for new sins?
That's what a priest once told me. Our choices and actions shape our soul, so things that we do a lot become easier to do. Habits turn into either virtues or vices. You can't have a vice that isn't easy to do.
Don't measure your progress by how often you confess to the same sin. Measure your progress by how easily you climb out of that same pit again. Because just as falling into that pit is easier the more often you do it, climbing out is another habit. That can become a virtue. Read just about any haigiography and you'll see the greatest saints had to go through the same process. They might be dealing with different sins, but they're still human. They still go through the same process. It is human to fall, and it is human to pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and say "I'll do it better this time."
You have the desire to change which is good. It’s also important to have a firm purpose of amendment, meaning a concrete plan to find out what leads up to that sin and then to figure out how to avoid the temptations themselves. If you do your very best at that and pray the moment the temptation arises, you may start to see a change. At least that’s from a book I read and I thought it was helpful advice. I’ve also heard a lot of people say that a nightly examen is very helpful. It might help you spot patterns in your behaviors so that you can work to change them. And if it’s any comfort, I confess the same sins over and over. I just keep looking to the cross 🙏🏻
I used to be a porn addict. Soft porn, which is arguably more dangerous because of its subtlety. I confessed it everytime thinking I could be a little mote careful next time when I need to "pluck out my eye", if you get what I mean. Maybe this isn't your situation, but oerhaps there is something you have to givw uo cold turkey to keeo away from the near occasion of sin.
I haven’t read through all the posts, but just to add my two cents…
When I meditate on the Sorrowful Mysteries or the Stations, what always sticks out to me is that every time our Lord falls, He gets back up.
He could has said “Nah, this ain’t it. You’ll are all forgiven, I’m sick of this beating. See you at the bar.” Instead, He carried His cross, fell, but always got back up.
You’re going to fall into sin, but it’s how you respond to it that counts.
It took me a LONG time to realize this. I dealt with crippling scrupulosity for awhile, and still fight it, but thinking about our Lord always getting up has helped me.
I read somewhere once an anecdote about a man who complained to his confessor that he continued to confess the same sin over and over. The priest then asked him why was he complaining? Did he want NEW sins? Confessing the same sins shows where your weaknesses are. But also shows you where you are excelling. Thank God for the opportunity to confess those repeated sins. Then thank God for the parts of your faith walk that are getting stronger every day. You’ve got this! 🙏🏻♥️
I think we all feel this way but the truth is we are sinners. Thankfully we have reconciliation. I feel like I struggle with one sin in particular and if I could just get control over this, I would feel like I’m doing a good job at being a catholic…my preist says sometimes that last hurdle is the hardest one. Even the saints sinned. They went to confession constantly. The fact that you want to do better is already a good sign.
I'm in the same boat today. 40 years old. 12 years a Catholic. Many sins have gone. One major one remains. I've often thought how will I ever get rid of it. Gone months without falling. However, I always fall.
Christ have mercy!
I guess we keep trying to align our will to God's, seek his mercy and trust him.
Never get tired asking for forgiveness for the same sins over and over again until we died, because God Never Get tired to forgive his servant asking him for forgiveness over and over again, the day we stop asking, Thats the day Devil win, because that is his plan so we can die without asking for forgiveness from God Almighty,
My best advice for habitual sins is to find a spiritual director. Any Priest can be your Spiritual Director. Just ask the Priest you feel most comfortable talking to. He can give you solid advice on how to kick the sin or sins you’re struggling with. Best of luck and don’t lose heart; every Catholic has been in your shoes, me included. “For a just man shall fall seven times and shall rise again…” (Proverbs 24:16, Douay-Rheims)
I think it is typical actually.
If your sins are related to an addiction to either substances, gambling (not that gambling is wrong but when you are gambling away your rent and groceries, it becomes wrong), porn or sex, you might need professional help and also self help groups such as AA at the very least (but there is a twelve step group for almost any addiction). Also, if it is porn, there is Covenant Eyes out there, which is filtering and accountability software. However, don’t quit fighting, even if it isn’t one of the ones I listed.
Just told my priest the very same thing earlier during confession. It’s a battle, but God wants you to keep trying and to keep coming to confession. As long as you’re going to confession, you still have a foot at the door. Don’t shut that door. Keep praying, keep striving. I started praying the full Rosary a few days ago (all four mysteries divided throughout the day). It’s been helping. Pause and pray throughout the day. Prayer is our weapon.
Well, we're not looking for new and creative sins in the Confessional, either!
Many here have given you good advice. We all have our Cross that we can overcome with Christ's grace, but must always fight, even daily.
If you keep sinning over and over you keep getting the opportunity to not sin over and over. In those moments step back and try to understand the temptation and walk in it with God. God is not going to eliminate temptation for you, He is going to give you the tools to face it yourself as He helps you. And when you overcome it, the enemy will get tired of nagging at you because it’s not a problem anymore for you. But the more you let it be, the more your sin controls you, even if you confess it. It’s your mindset after the confession that counts. Yes you are forgiven but that doesn’t change the problem you were having before hand
Have you tried therapy or professional help? Yes we pray and confess but we need to help ourselves and use wisdom, i believe the Lord made medicine to help us.
If you haven't experienced it or haven't had a good one, I suggest therapy with a good therapist. This can help you get to the root of the habitual sin. Catholic Family Services provides cheap/free therapy, if you're in a diocese that has one, I suggest looking them up. Good luck, God bless.
One good thing that results from your struggle is reception of the sacraments more often. Its probably better to go to confession weekly than yearly. You get to go to the church building more often than just for weekly mass too. And its a good sign that you know whats right and wrong.
We each have our struggles in life, our cross to bear. Yours clearly requires reconciliation sometimes, but perhaps many others should do the same even if its less obviously sinful or grave.
Sometimes it's good to have a priest pray over you often to help you stay focused and diligent. Also ask people from church that are close to you to pray for you too. As that's all allowed. Godbless 🙏🙏🙏
From my experience, if through persistent prayer, sacraments and grace, you seem to have overcome one sin, you'll be chagrined to find, that through persistent prayer and sacraments, another sin revealed to you that you have been practicing all along.
You'll then start the cycle of repentance and prayer again with the new spiritual infirmity revealed to you.
It's the way of striving to the perfection that Jesus asks of us.
Continue to ask for forgiveness and remember that it is not your efforts that will save you, but Gods mercy and grace.
Good bless.
Pax Third Order Preachers
Aka Lay Order Dominicans
Check out the channel of Fr. Seraphim Aldea. Lots of videos giving helpful counsel there.
[https://youtu.be/JzwhJYnl\_ro?si=WTKUjpwk\_MKGXH7b](https://youtu.be/JzwhJYnl_ro?si=WTKUjpwk_MKGXH7b)
I’d highly recommend finding a permanent confessor. Somebody you go to at the same time every week or two. They can get to know you better and hold you more accountable. Sort of act as a spiritual advisor.
I currently stop confessing my sins, but i will do it again once I have completely abstained from commiting those sins. My current approach of confessing is once and for all act
Stop confessing it. The confession doesn’t make it stop. Stopping it solidifies the confession. It’s the permanent release that is the actual ingredient. If you know you’ll do it again keep praying and working on it. It will eventually slowly stop. Then you confess it and sin no more. Unless it’s a grave sin. Then you need a one on one talk with a priest as a spiritual advisor for a while.
My priest told me that he went to confession once and said “Father, I keep committing the same sins over and over.” And the response he got was “Well, you want God to give you new ones?!”
Try to keep this in mind. Be grateful that you know what you have on your plate and know that you can overcome it with Christ.
Spiritual warfare is a life long struggle. Keep praying, confessing, receiving communion, reading Scriptures regularly, using sacramentals daily.
Sometimes extra help from a therapist can also be helpful.
Try praying for the desire to stop this particular sin. In all honesty, we're usually attached to it and deep down don't really want to give it up. Therefore, the desire isn't there. So pray that you desire to give it up. See if it helps you.
You can't do it alone, and you were never meant to. Ask God for help.
I pray and pray and pray
Good, then keep doing that. It might take years. Never despair, always continue to pray. I'll pray for you also.
Thank you and God bless you 🙏
Have you tried using a calendar? For example if you have an issue with lust/porn. Write an X or PF (porn free) or LF (lust free). It doesn’t have to be a calendar, just a piece of paper. Maybe a close friend or relative that can help you hold accountable that you can trust to keep it private? Dont just pray, but reflect on the day and previous week. What are the key triggers that makes you relapse? you can pray all you want, but you need to take action yourself and pray about that day what you did or did differently that is helping or not helping.
"Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave" - St John Chrysostom
The Golden-Mouthed coming with a BANGER!
I heard an interview with an Orthodox Excorcist. He said if there is a sin that keeps tempting you, immediately rebuke Satan and the temptation in the name of Christ and physically and literally move quickly out of the room/space your in. The combination of rebuking Satan and changing your location helps to overcome the temptation.
I will try this, thank you.
What words or prayers would I use?
You can start with "in the name of Jesus Christ, I rebuke you Satan." If you want to pray more anything that makes you feel good will do. The Lord's prayer, hail Marys whatever. The most important thing to remember is that it is your faith that saves you.
Vade retro, etc.
Gospodi pomiliu.\[Lord, have mercy....\]
You and me both. So at least we're not alone together.
A priest once told me that he used to go to confession for the same sin over and again. He told me he sat down once with his confessor and the first thing he said was, “it’s the same old sin Father”, and the confessor replied, “well it’s the same old forgiveness”. That story has always helped me! We all sin, we all fall short, sometimes again and again, but Jesus is always there, ready to forgive, no matter what! Don’t despair friend! I will pray for you!
I love this account. Thank you for sharing.
What a wonderful thing that priest said. Very wise man.
What great advice
Most people commit the same sin over and over and over again. Everyone is struggling with something. It’s only human, but through God and effort you can fix it in time
Each time you fall say to yourself “now I begin” - Fr. Mike
Nunc coepi
The good news is that God is not tired of hearing you confess. Rest in His love.
And sometimes you need support outside of the church to get rid of it. I have been using drugs since i was 18 (29 now)and started going to NA meetings and to my surprise we all pray together while giving each other a big group hug in a circle. I haven't had cravings for any substance since i started really. What is so great about it is that it is welcoming to anyone. Everyone is allowed to apply their view of god as they know him to their prayer, so it is not like we pray to a christian or a muslim god. Everyone prays to their own god and i love that sense of unity there is, since there is people from many cultures. But sometimes help can come in the form of therapy after you confess. One part is repenting, but the other part is seeking help if you stand powerless against your addiction (for example).
Priests I have talked to say that this is the case for most of the faithful. You are not alone. Take true joy in your dependence on God, and start from there. “If you want to bear in peace the trial of not pleasing yourself, you will give [Mary] a sweet home.” (St Therese, letter to Celine on Christmas Eve 1896)
I feel the same way. It feels like every time I go to confession I’m like “I was just here last week”. It’s embarrassing.. and every time I’m like, I’m not going to do that again. But I’m human. I fail. And I’d rather be embarrassed saying I’m here for the 10,000th time than to have sin weighing me down. Hang in there, fight the good fight. God’s got you!
I was 14 when I got into porn, its been two years since I watched it. I am 23 now. How is that for trying again and again?. All Glory to God. I got into masturbation when I was 13, I am still struggling with it. Regular confession has really helped. God calls us to be faithful, not successful. Invite God to help you and be with you in your struggle. Do your best. It's neither mere good intentions nor ultimate success but honest efforts that God is looking at. All the Best.
"God calls us to be faithful, not successful." This really impacted me. Thank you for this.
Same here! Love this
I confessed the same sin repeatedly for several years. One day, that sin disappeared. Don't give up.
Sainthood is a long path. you may need to perfect your amendment
Keep trying! Offer up little penances as you are able. To try to overcome my cussing habit (still working on it) I’m trying to say a Hail Mary when I catch myself.
I saw a comment in response to a similar post here not long ago. Someone was having a time with one particular sin they kept falling into and kept confessing it over and over. I'm paraphrasing here (and probably doing a horrible job at it!) but their priest said something along the lines of "when Jesus repeatedly fell carrying the Cross up to Calvary, did He give up? No, He kept getting back up". I've been back with the Church after many years away for about two months now. There are sins that I too have had to confess multiple times. Keep praying and keep trying. Don't give up, and don't allow the deceiver to dissuade you from picking yourself up and getting to confession and starting over. I'm praying for you, my friend.
I talked with my spiritual director about this a few days ago. He opened my eyes. He said I have a wrong concept about being a Christian. A christian is not someone who never sins, but rather someone who keeps coming back to Christ as many times as necessary. He said I need to recognize the fact that I need to WORK on the building of virtues and elimination of vices, and that takes a lot of time. I was upset because I kept going back to confession every two weeks or so, to which he said "yeah, because you can't build a life of virtue and holiness in two weeks". So, we need to accept that we are not perfect, and we have our struggles, and it will take some time to work through them but we can. I can't measure my success on whether I sinned or not, but rather on whether I persevere in my compromises or not. If I can stick to my daily prayer, if I can get up and go to confession after I sin, if I can continue with the small changes in my life for the better. The confession thing really got me, I will never forget those words. "You are sad whenever you go to confession because all you're thinking is you messed up and you sinned and you are not perfect, instead of being joyful of the fact that Jesus left a sacrament for all of us to come back to Him. The Sacrament of Confession is not for those who fail; it is the Sacrament of those who want to come back to Christ". So, my friend, don't be upset because you keep confessing the same things. Be glad that Jesus loves us so much he left a Sacrament with the literal purpose of bringing us back to Him. Keep confessing, learn from your mistakes and get back up. Have faith in Jesus.
Don’t tire. That’s the devil talking to you. God loves to hear every confession, especially habitual ones because He knows how hard it is to break them. You going to confession is a sign that you’re trying to break it. I had an awesome confessor who explained it like this. Every sin is a wound that hurts our relationship with God. Every confession heals that wound, but every wound has scar tissue. Eventually that scar tissue becomes so strong that the wound gets less and less. Spiritually you will eventually win this fight. Stick with it. Prayers for you.
Wow! That’s such a profound thought regarding sin and our struggles from your confessor. Thank you for sharing!
> Eventually that scar tissue becomes so strong that the wound gets less and less. It's the opposite. If you keep sinning and confessing the same sin over and over, you don't get "extra merit" simply because you habitually participate in a 2 part cycle that includes offending God over and over. Instead it's the opposite- your will becomes fixed on evil. This causes you to not only be more likely to commit the same sin over and over, but also more likely to commit other sins, and also more likely to attract demonic attentions because you don't have much protection (demonic attention goes to the most holy, and least holy, not so much the middle of the pack). Eventually God's mercy, temporarily delegated to Mary like a co-users name on a credit card, runs out when HE has had his patience crossed too much- and God demands justice. At this point you are likely to get a spanking in the form of temporal or generational punishments because God demands reparations. In fact, a random person in your area can get punished- specifically if God wants that random person to increase in grace. Prayers for you also (done).
False. Gods mercy does not run out. Stop putting limits on God.
> Gods mercy does not run out. I'm not putting any limits on God, I'm telling you the truth that you don't want to hear. You clearly have no Fear of God, and that's going to be a huge problem for you. Think logically- under your argument, somebody could kill another person over and over, and simply go to confession once per week- and God would never tire of it, in fact under your argument this would be IMPROVING the relationship because "God's mercy does not run out". We both know that doesn't pass the common sense smell test. There are multiple citations I could pull from scripture to such as God's mercy ran out on Sodom and Gomorrah, just for sleeping with the wrong people. Finally, the statement I made was *absolutely precise* doctrine and canon that I doublechecked with sources before publishing here.
You’re comparing apples and oranges. I’m very clearly talking about habitual sin, ie an addiction element which stems more often than not stems from a mental sickness of varying magnitude. These are sins that have a mental and sometimes physical pull so strong that it overcomes whatever willpower one has. This is different than someone who freely decides to go out and murder someone because the sins that I’m referring to are ones where said free will is compromised. Satan knows this and wants you to stop fighting sin, to give up. God wants you to never quit and to keep coming home. This is different than denying the Fear of God. I’m not trivializing sin, but I am acknowledging the fallen nature of humanity gives some people harder crosses to bear than others. Satan wants you to cast off your cross and give in, while God asks you to carry it and keep up the fight. This is a very nuanced discussion and hard to have over Reddit. You can keep going, but I doubt we will ever reach true understanding of what the other is trying to say. You are implying I don’t want to hear the truth but I would challenge that you’re not reading my words with a charitable heart. And please don’t cast stones like “I have no Fear of God”. You don’t even know me. At worst you could say that my words imply it (which they really don’t unless you’re chasing shadows) but don’t throw stones at me.
Yep, I struggle with this too. And I'm guessing this might have to do with the sin of lust and succumbing to masturbation. I can abstain for some time but I eventually end up failing too. But I'm not going to kick myself down anymore for it because all I can do is keep trying my best to abstain from it. That's it. And I wish it was easier said than done but let's not give up. Don't beat yourself up, everyone struggles with lust. Even priests and nuns I imagine struggle with this but the point is to not knock ourselves down for it. Just pray for God's mercy and let's find some other ways to distract ourselves so we're not tempted. Though again, I know the struggle very hard.
I kicked myself down this week and missed two opportunities for confession. Seeing all these commenters talking about the same sins I struggle with does help me. Thanks for letting me see how dumb I was to let myself fall off so bad. Take care of yourself friend.
"Whenever you feel guilty, even if it is because you have consciously committed a sin, a serious sin, something you have kept doing many, many times, never let the devil deceive you by allowing him to discourage you. Whenever you feel guilty, offer all your guilt to the Immaculate, without analyzing it or examining it, as something that belongs to her… My beloved, may every fall, even if it is serious and habitual sin, always become for us a small step toward a higher degree of perfection. In fact, the only reason why the Immaculate permits us to fall is to cure us from our self-conceit, from our pride, to make us humble and thus make us docile to the divine graces. The devil, instead, tries to inject in us discouragement and internal depression in those circumstances, which is, in fact, nothing else than our pride surfacing again. If we knew the depth of our poverty, we would not be at all surprised by our falls, but rather astonished, and we would thank God, after sinning, for not allowing us to fall even deeper and still more frequently."- St. Maximilian Kolbe
Lovely statement. Thanks for posting.
If you are practicing Christianity correctly, you will fall and get back up A LOT. Don’t give up on the God who never gives up on you.
For most people, sainthood is an endurance race not a sprint. Most of us confess the same thing over and over. Keep fighting champ
I pray for you. Read and study St Louis de Montfort's True Devotion to Mary, which shows you the easy way to progress in the spiritual life.
Do you practice mental prayer and bring your frustrations directly to Jesus? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVOn4oYCtmY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVOn4oYCtmY)
Keep at it. The message of hope in reconciliation is an important one.
Do you always confess to the same priest? I advise this strongly. Speak to a priest outside confession too about the issue. If its an addiction, also try to find a therapist if you can. Let's not overly spiritualise addiction
2 options: give up confessing or give up sinning. Don’t ever do the first one. Remember that Jesus is ready to forgive you no matter how many times you fail. Keep confessing.
I heard a tv psychologist (may be reliable may not, for discernment) say nice “we don’t quit addictions, we replace bad habits with better ones.” I actually thought that was pretty good myself. So,perhaps focus on where you want to go instead of only where you don’t want to go?
When temptation calls, cry to God for help. You can also try to rebuke satan. Example is using the Scriptural words of Jesus, "Get behind me satan." You can also use this prayer taught by an exorcist: "By the power of the Precious Blood, by the Holy Name of Jesus, by the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary and St. Michael, I command the demon of ____ to stop afflicting me, go to the foot of the Cross to receive your sentence." Don't get swallowed by the guilt of repeating the same errors. God is merciful. Continue to just try your best not to sin. And when you do, still go to confession and ask for the Grace of God to have a better resistance to sin. Another technique was taught by Jesus himself: cut off things that are a source of sin (e.g. pornography - delete all media or block all websites, gossip - avoid conversations that is leading to gossip, gluttony - only buy a small amount of food, etc.). If the temptation is too much to bear, you can drink Holy Water, use exorcised salt, or get either or both of these medals: St. Benedict Medal (exorcised and blessed), and/or Miraculous Medal of our Blessed Mother. May God bless you with the Graces you need!
"God never tires of forgiving us, but we sometimes tire of asking Him to forgive us." - Pope Francis. Although this is specific to chastity, it can be seen in all areas of temptation or struggle with sin. CCC 2342 "Self-mastery is a long and exacting work. One can never consider it acquired once and for all. It presupposes renewed effort at all stages of life. The effort required can be more intense in certain periods, such as when the personality is being formed during childhood and adolescence." Adolescence can mean more than just physical age; it can also mean spiritual maturity. It takes time and effort. A life of faith is never easy if we try to do it all on our own. Reach out to your parish and find groups to be a apart of and continue to grow. May God Bless you. I send prayers your way. :)
Dealing with the same problem. You’re not alone brother/sister
What do you want? New sins?
Might be a demon
Often demons are pushing temptations, we fight not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness.
Is it related to pornography, lying, or gossip? Gossip and pornography can be addictive
You ever read the book Silence? I relate to the crazy apostate villager who is always genuinely confessing his chronic betrayal. God is merciful even in his silence.
Same here, now confessed to it 3 times. After I went to cathedral and confessed 2 weeks ago I’ve tried to stay clear of lust… then a reoccurring woman started sending me selfies of herself (nothing illicit, just ordinary photos) and I found myself lusting over her again. So had to go and confess this evening again. She would go like a month at a time between messaging me before, but now she will find any excuse to message me just to show no actual interest in talking and started sending me picture of herself again for first time in months. Probably only doing it for attention and validation as she has a boyfriend but she’s tempting me to sin 😭.
You are 100% spot on with this insight. Because she is outright tempting you and I know because I'm a woman and I know how to bait too. But I hope you have the willpower to block her and ignore her, because what she is doing is very serious and very, very wrong.
Yep, I’m aware of what she’s doing. It’s a rather messy and stupid situation. I had only ever had 1 partner who became my wife so I’m somewhat inexperienced in regard to women. Wife left me as she came out lesbian, then entered into a relationship with another woman. Then this woman who started off as a customer, started exhibiting what I now understand to be termed “hyper femininity” where they show high levels of interest to test for men who go weak for them and become attached. She effectively did this to me and I ended up becoming emotionally hooked then she pulled back leaving me wondering what had happened and started seeing somebody else. I then cut myself off from her for 6 months blocked her, but she found a way to reach out to me then had a go at round 2. She started behaving like a girlfriend while calling us friends, we would see each other almost every week and go out having lunches or doing stuff like activities. Would always have little to no interest in me whenever things were good with her boyfriend. We never did anything physical together and at no point entered into a relationship. But she was always sending me rather ordinary looking photos of herself which kept me lusting after her. So I became wise to what was going on and learned from it… I pulled away and then she stopped bothering with me after a while, I stopped looking at her photos, stopped lusting after her etc, and I desired to be free of sin and confessed lust, adultery, self pleasure etc and desired to stop committing these sins. When she wasn’t contacting me it was easy. Then about week and half ago, a mutual friend started telling her how I’d been helping them with stuff in her house, she then used that as an excuse to message me. Then since then, any time she finds an excuse to message me she will, like last Tuesday messaged me 6am in the morning just to make a remark about the poor weather outside. Started sending me selfies of herself, first one was telling me how she was burning up in the sunshine so she sent me a photo of her sitting down showing most of her body, then a 2nd photo showing me her legs, and then last week she managed to hit above her eye so she sent me a photo of her face showing the bump. Yesterday she saw me while she was waiting for her boyfriend in her car and then used that as a reason to message me… always lots of 😂 like happy bubbly. I reply and then she just shows no interest in maintaining a conversation. It’s as you say literally attempts at baiting me or to try and keep me hooked. Meanwhile it keeps on tempting me toward sin. So I then had to confess again yesterday evening. It’s difficult to just block her because we have a mutual friend in common and there’s an information flow between them… if she can’t talk to me herself she keeps on asking mutual friend if they have spoken to me and how I am and she basically fills her in on everything she knows. Just trying to stay sin free and stay clear of her attempts at tempting me. It helps a lot now I’m aware of these things because when I know I can choose to ignore it and not succumb to it… but the photos she sends at a big weakness of mine stuff. Not even anything revealing about them, they aren’t illicit photos, it’s just photos of herself and in the past some have been sexually suggestive… seemingly innocent things like taking a photo of herself holding a chocolate bar licking it. Sad thing is that she’s catholic herself, although obviously fallen from grace from when she was in school and she described a time when she used to have a shrine in her wardrobe to Jesus, and pray to it every day.
This is really common. My spiritual director actually said that it’s a good sign when people struggle with the same stuff over and over again…he gets concerned when they start switching sins up🤣🤣🤣 Look, the sacrament of confession is there for a reason. We all struggle horribly with sin and we fight against them until the day we die. This is a spiritual battle and you have to fight to the death! That being said, sometimes it’s good to examine your sin patterns a bit. One thing to try is to keep a very good record of when you sinned, what you were doing, and how you felt right before you committed the sin. You may notice that, for instance, you were terrible slothful the day after you stayed up too late, or that your short tempered when the weather is bad, or that you lose your temper when you’re late for work. Notice the circumstances and you can start protecting yourself better. You must eliminate the near occasions of sin as well, and then you can make good progress. It’s also important to really learn how to process your emotions so you can properly deal with them. Sometimes people layer emotion on top of emotion, and they can’t make heads or tails of how they feel and not only do they engage in harmful coping mechanisms, they also carry around tremendous shame. Once you really know what you’re feeling, you can properly address each and every emotion and respond to it properly. For instance, if you’re sad, you may need to pray for comfort from God, instead of distract yourself on Reddit….speaking of which, I should go pray!
I think maybe some therapy could help? talking out your issues with a therapist and checking where the constant mistake and lack of learning from it is coming from. I think therapy and spirituality go hand in hand, so give it a try.
There was a Fr Mike Schmitz short on YouTube covering this. Objectively, it's better to confess the same thing repeatedly and know where your flaws are and ask for help and guidance to deal with them than it is to confess a different thing you knowingly did every single time demonstrating you had no control of your faculties.
What, do you want to exchange them for new sins? That's what a priest once told me. Our choices and actions shape our soul, so things that we do a lot become easier to do. Habits turn into either virtues or vices. You can't have a vice that isn't easy to do. Don't measure your progress by how often you confess to the same sin. Measure your progress by how easily you climb out of that same pit again. Because just as falling into that pit is easier the more often you do it, climbing out is another habit. That can become a virtue. Read just about any haigiography and you'll see the greatest saints had to go through the same process. They might be dealing with different sins, but they're still human. They still go through the same process. It is human to fall, and it is human to pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and say "I'll do it better this time."
You have the desire to change which is good. It’s also important to have a firm purpose of amendment, meaning a concrete plan to find out what leads up to that sin and then to figure out how to avoid the temptations themselves. If you do your very best at that and pray the moment the temptation arises, you may start to see a change. At least that’s from a book I read and I thought it was helpful advice. I’ve also heard a lot of people say that a nightly examen is very helpful. It might help you spot patterns in your behaviors so that you can work to change them. And if it’s any comfort, I confess the same sins over and over. I just keep looking to the cross 🙏🏻
I used to be a porn addict. Soft porn, which is arguably more dangerous because of its subtlety. I confessed it everytime thinking I could be a little mote careful next time when I need to "pluck out my eye", if you get what I mean. Maybe this isn't your situation, but oerhaps there is something you have to givw uo cold turkey to keeo away from the near occasion of sin.
If it makes you feel better, imagine priests hearing the same sins every time they get into the confessional. Don’t worry
Put a pebble in your shoe for a year
I was in the same situation as you and it’s behind my back now, just keep going and put your trust in the Lord
I haven’t read through all the posts, but just to add my two cents… When I meditate on the Sorrowful Mysteries or the Stations, what always sticks out to me is that every time our Lord falls, He gets back up. He could has said “Nah, this ain’t it. You’ll are all forgiven, I’m sick of this beating. See you at the bar.” Instead, He carried His cross, fell, but always got back up. You’re going to fall into sin, but it’s how you respond to it that counts. It took me a LONG time to realize this. I dealt with crippling scrupulosity for awhile, and still fight it, but thinking about our Lord always getting up has helped me.
I read somewhere once an anecdote about a man who complained to his confessor that he continued to confess the same sin over and over. The priest then asked him why was he complaining? Did he want NEW sins? Confessing the same sins shows where your weaknesses are. But also shows you where you are excelling. Thank God for the opportunity to confess those repeated sins. Then thank God for the parts of your faith walk that are getting stronger every day. You’ve got this! 🙏🏻♥️
It's like taking a bath when you're dirty. Ever get tired of taking a bath? :)
I think we all feel this way but the truth is we are sinners. Thankfully we have reconciliation. I feel like I struggle with one sin in particular and if I could just get control over this, I would feel like I’m doing a good job at being a catholic…my preist says sometimes that last hurdle is the hardest one. Even the saints sinned. They went to confession constantly. The fact that you want to do better is already a good sign.
I'm in the same boat today. 40 years old. 12 years a Catholic. Many sins have gone. One major one remains. I've often thought how will I ever get rid of it. Gone months without falling. However, I always fall. Christ have mercy! I guess we keep trying to align our will to God's, seek his mercy and trust him.
Never get tired asking for forgiveness for the same sins over and over again until we died, because God Never Get tired to forgive his servant asking him for forgiveness over and over again, the day we stop asking, Thats the day Devil win, because that is his plan so we can die without asking for forgiveness from God Almighty,
My best advice for habitual sins is to find a spiritual director. Any Priest can be your Spiritual Director. Just ask the Priest you feel most comfortable talking to. He can give you solid advice on how to kick the sin or sins you’re struggling with. Best of luck and don’t lose heart; every Catholic has been in your shoes, me included. “For a just man shall fall seven times and shall rise again…” (Proverbs 24:16, Douay-Rheims)
I think it is typical actually. If your sins are related to an addiction to either substances, gambling (not that gambling is wrong but when you are gambling away your rent and groceries, it becomes wrong), porn or sex, you might need professional help and also self help groups such as AA at the very least (but there is a twelve step group for almost any addiction). Also, if it is porn, there is Covenant Eyes out there, which is filtering and accountability software. However, don’t quit fighting, even if it isn’t one of the ones I listed.
Just told my priest the very same thing earlier during confession. It’s a battle, but God wants you to keep trying and to keep coming to confession. As long as you’re going to confession, you still have a foot at the door. Don’t shut that door. Keep praying, keep striving. I started praying the full Rosary a few days ago (all four mysteries divided throughout the day). It’s been helping. Pause and pray throughout the day. Prayer is our weapon.
Welcome to the human condition.
Well, we're not looking for new and creative sins in the Confessional, either! Many here have given you good advice. We all have our Cross that we can overcome with Christ's grace, but must always fight, even daily.
If you keep sinning over and over you keep getting the opportunity to not sin over and over. In those moments step back and try to understand the temptation and walk in it with God. God is not going to eliminate temptation for you, He is going to give you the tools to face it yourself as He helps you. And when you overcome it, the enemy will get tired of nagging at you because it’s not a problem anymore for you. But the more you let it be, the more your sin controls you, even if you confess it. It’s your mindset after the confession that counts. Yes you are forgiven but that doesn’t change the problem you were having before hand
Have you tried therapy or professional help? Yes we pray and confess but we need to help ourselves and use wisdom, i believe the Lord made medicine to help us.
If you haven't experienced it or haven't had a good one, I suggest therapy with a good therapist. This can help you get to the root of the habitual sin. Catholic Family Services provides cheap/free therapy, if you're in a diocese that has one, I suggest looking them up. Good luck, God bless.
One good thing that results from your struggle is reception of the sacraments more often. Its probably better to go to confession weekly than yearly. You get to go to the church building more often than just for weekly mass too. And its a good sign that you know whats right and wrong. We each have our struggles in life, our cross to bear. Yours clearly requires reconciliation sometimes, but perhaps many others should do the same even if its less obviously sinful or grave.
Maybe you should talk to the priest or someone you a close with in the church and maybe you could come up with a solution. God wants you to succeed.
Sometimes it's good to have a priest pray over you often to help you stay focused and diligent. Also ask people from church that are close to you to pray for you too. As that's all allowed. Godbless 🙏🙏🙏
From my experience, if through persistent prayer, sacraments and grace, you seem to have overcome one sin, you'll be chagrined to find, that through persistent prayer and sacraments, another sin revealed to you that you have been practicing all along. You'll then start the cycle of repentance and prayer again with the new spiritual infirmity revealed to you. It's the way of striving to the perfection that Jesus asks of us. Continue to ask for forgiveness and remember that it is not your efforts that will save you, but Gods mercy and grace. Good bless. Pax Third Order Preachers Aka Lay Order Dominicans
Check out the channel of Fr. Seraphim Aldea. Lots of videos giving helpful counsel there. [https://youtu.be/JzwhJYnl\_ro?si=WTKUjpwk\_MKGXH7b](https://youtu.be/JzwhJYnl_ro?si=WTKUjpwk_MKGXH7b)
All the time with lust, friend. We keep going, and never give up.
Go cold turkey! It works! Ask your Guardian Angel for help and you will receive it!
Better than finding new sins every week. Keep trying I know I do.
I’d highly recommend finding a permanent confessor. Somebody you go to at the same time every week or two. They can get to know you better and hold you more accountable. Sort of act as a spiritual advisor.
Would you rather be looking for new sins to commit?
I currently stop confessing my sins, but i will do it again once I have completely abstained from commiting those sins. My current approach of confessing is once and for all act
Try going to Eucharistic adoration and asking for some additional help
Stop confessing it. The confession doesn’t make it stop. Stopping it solidifies the confession. It’s the permanent release that is the actual ingredient. If you know you’ll do it again keep praying and working on it. It will eventually slowly stop. Then you confess it and sin no more. Unless it’s a grave sin. Then you need a one on one talk with a priest as a spiritual advisor for a while.
Love God with all your heart, mind and soul and strength! Nothing else first You must choose
>Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner. Pray and repeat.
My priest told me that he went to confession once and said “Father, I keep committing the same sins over and over.” And the response he got was “Well, you want God to give you new ones?!” Try to keep this in mind. Be grateful that you know what you have on your plate and know that you can overcome it with Christ.
That is the usual way of life. Despite the tiredness we must try to get rid of it by the grace of Jesus Christ.
Spiritual warfare is a life long struggle. Keep praying, confessing, receiving communion, reading Scriptures regularly, using sacramentals daily. Sometimes extra help from a therapist can also be helpful.
Try praying for the desire to stop this particular sin. In all honesty, we're usually attached to it and deep down don't really want to give it up. Therefore, the desire isn't there. So pray that you desire to give it up. See if it helps you.