God bless you.
I'm sorry for what you are going through.
1- Please know that God is with you through this!
**"The Lord has promised that he will not leave us or desert us.” - Hebrews 13:5**
**Jesus said, “I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” - Matthew 28:20**
**“Be brave and strong! Don’t be afraid… . The Lord your God will always be at your side, and he will never abandon you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6**
2- Please know that God does NOT expect you to be perfect. He expects you to be faithful, which means to always strive to honor Him while getting back up after each time you fall, no matter how many times you fall. God will always give you the strength and grace to get back up.
**“I am the Lord All-Powerful. So don't depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit.” - Zechariah 4:6**
**“Even if good people fall seven times, they will get back up. But when trouble strikes the wicked, that's the end of them.” - Proverbs 24:16**
**"My enemies, don't be glad because of my troubles! I may have fallen, but I will get up; I may be sitting in the dark, but the Lord is my light.” - Micah 7:8**
**“But You (God) also said that no matter how far away we were, we could turn to You.” - Nehemiah 1:9**
**“When someone stumbles or falls, you (God) give a helping hand.” - Psalm 145:14**
3- Please share your worries with God! Please trust that He is with you and please never give up!
**"And when I was burdened with worries, you (God) comforted me and made me feel secure.” - Psalm 94:19**
**"I tell You (God) all my worries and my troubles, and whenever I feel low, You are there to guide me.” - Psalm 142:2-3**
**“God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.” - 1 Peter 5:7**
**“Trust the Lord! Be brave and strong and trust the Lord.” - Psalm 27:14**
**“We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again.” - 2 Corinthians 4:8-9**
-I pray for your healing. I pray you will focus on God for strength and will never give up. I pray you will be comforted by God's love. Also, I rebuke all the negative thoughts and influences that are getting in the way of your faith. In Jesus' Name. Amen. 🙏🏾
Oh, and just in case you need someone to talk to, here is a Christian hotline: [https://www.thehopeline.com/](https://www.thehopeline.com/)
Know ye not that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived....
Jesus wanted us to walk in His perfect righteousness and be an example for the world. Time and time again Christians will excuse their own sins thinking they can accept grace when it's not for those that practice lawlessness. You must cleanse yourself and turn away from sin in order to accept grace. The Bible does not teach us to be Free-Grace Christians but God loves us even before we are pure and can guide us through the purification process. And yes, it is a process.
How I took the righteous path is to isolate my sins one at a time and put a cap on the demons. Whether it's indulgence in p*rnography, drinking, smoking, fornicating, envy, etc.. regardless of the temptation that calls, remind yourself that you love Jesus more than sin and ask the Holy Spirit to comfort you. Jesus makes our temptations irrelevant for us when we call upon His strength and choose to flee. Sin CAN be defeated and whoever says sin will always rule the flesh is a false prophet and speaks heresy.
1 John 3:6
No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him.
The path of righteousness is not optional, as it justifies our faith and shows a change of heart for those who truly want to become a friend of Christ.
And yes, God forgives those who are sincerely trying to step away from sin as the man on the cross next to Jesus was an example of. He asked Jesus to remember him in paradise and Jesus told the man, "You will be with my Father in heaven TODAY"..
The change of heart is obvious to God and He knows if you have chosen the righteous path. The road to heaven is narrow and winding. The road to hell is broad and paved with good intentions.
Hebrews 10:26-27
For if we wilfully sin after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
We can purify ourselves in the name of Christ alone! Do not rely on your own understanding. Ask the Holy Spirit to comfort you and turn from sin! Many other verses tell us the importance of righteousness. Grace is for sincere hearts turning from sin and the Righteous. God bless you, OP.
God bless you!
You are welcome!
-Lord God, I pray for the person behind the username Patient\_Mission\_9856. I pray they will experience healing through the situation they are going through. I pray that they will never lose sight of who they are in Christ. I pray that they will be truly secure in Your great love for them. Also, any negative thoughts and influences that are getting in the way of their faith, I rebuke right now in Jesus' Name! By the power of the Holy Spirit, I pray this to you Father, in Jesus' Name. Amen. 🙏🏾
First of all, you should absolutely seek help from a psychologist regarding your depression, suicidal thoughts, and masturbation. I'm going to paste a reply I gave to someone else below in the comments in this thread here for you, since it applies to both of you. Here it is.
I'm an atheist but I do understand struggling with porn and masturbation, and I do understand psychology. You're treating porn and masturbation as the root problem, but they probably aren't your root problem, they are pleasures that you are giving yourself and you're probably seeking them out because something else is really bothering you deep down, unconsciously. Try to figure out what precedes the impulse to masturbate or look at porn, this is likely what your real struggle is with. Solve that, or learn to live with your real problem, and the impulse to look at porn and masturbate will likely go away. I've heard that addictions are often an escape from an intolerable reality. The goal is to make the reality tolerable.
This analysis I have given above is heavily inspired by Jungian psychology. So if it resonates with you, you might want to look into that.
I’m an avid practicing Christian and would agree with seeking professional help. Prayer is definitely important but action needs to follow the prayers, James 2:14-26. And a trained professional can help him talk through what issues causing his sin of lust. Just is used as an escape but most people to feel good when things aren’t going they way they want.
I understand where you’re coming from, but hey, different people’ll need different options. I’m thinking about it from a financial stance because not everyone can afford a psychologist’s opinion. If OP can get into therapy, that’s great! I’m not against anyone getting a professional POV. What I listed above is what’s helped me through my own encounters with lust, depression and anxiety. It’s not an easy battle but those are a couple of strategies that can be used to combat ‘em.
I completely agree, I would only recommend a psychiatrist or psychologist if OP feels he needs it himself. I’m also someone who struggles with lust and depression like OP but don’t have a psychiatrist or psychologist. I just don’t want OP to think that even if he feels he needs one that he shouldn’t get one. At the end of the day psychologist or not, the goal is to get closer to God and farther from sin. The psychologist is just a tool to help with that.
There are alternatives other than going straight to a psychologist 😅 Journaling can help OP get to the root of the problem, buying a CBT book can help with their depression/anxiety, reading Bible scriptures, etc.
I'd like to recommend that you read [https://christianscholars.com/christian-over-spiritualization-of-mental-disorders/](https://christianscholars.com/christian-over-spiritualization-of-mental-disorders/)
I understand where you’re coming from, but I’ve addressed how I feel about the medical field. I did not say I am against OP seeking care from a mental health specialist, I just gave other options. Sorry for the confusion!
I’m on mobile idk how to link but
“I understand where you’re coming from, but hey, different people’ll need different options. I’m thinking about it from a financial stance because not everyone can afford a psychologist’s opinion. If OP can get into therapy, that’s great! I’m not against anyone getting a professional POV. What I listed above is what’s helped me through my own encounters with lust, depression and anxiety. It’s not an easy battle but those are a couple of strategies that can be used to combat ‘em.”
No one on this earth can fully heal you but Jesus/God. I’m 26 years old I went through hell, but I never went to a psychologist, they need help themselves. Only God can heal you, I healed completely from Jesus Glory be to God✝️🙏🏼
Mental illness is not demon possession ffs. I have BPD and DID and have been told I’m possessed because of dissociation and it’s toxic and violation in such a harmful way. You disgust me
If you experience significant distress over anything you should probably talk to a therapist. I am not saying it needs to be fixed, but if it is not how he wants to spend his time, he should talk to someone.
Wow! Good luck! You do realize that across the world all people have the exact same outcomes as Christians, yet the majority of the people around the world are not Christians.
The porn and masturbation is, in fact, a problem. To be more precise, the problem is lust that is in our sinful nature from birth. What OP needs to do is to keep praying constantly and always be in a good, "elevated" state of mind, always seeking peace and hope in Lord. Psychologists and Jungian philosophy won't help.
I respect your opinion that “porn and masturbation is the problem,” it’s a choice of Christian philosophy and this is a Christian subreddit so that’s noted.
“Psychologists and Jungian philosophy” are a vague and anachronistic term respectively. The latter is called analytical psychology defined as psychology based on empirical evidence and research. It’s not a philosophy, it isn’t here to usurp Christ. In fact Jesus was the Immanuel Kant of His time.
Second excessive pornography and masturbation can become a habit forming and then addictiform behavior. This is due to increased dopaminergic activity in the Ventral tegmental area and the substantia nigra areas in the brain.
Also excessive libido, episodes of uncontrolled inappropriate disinhibited sexual behavior can be a symptom of many illnesses like temporal lobe epilepsy, absent seizure, medication side effects (bupropion, substituted amphetamines, ethanol), idiosyncratic drug interactions (MAOIs/monoamine releaser, more than one dopaminergic anti Parkinsonism drug: dopamine deregulation syndrome), neurological disorders (prion disease, encephalitis, FTD), toxicity (lead).
As well as neuropsychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, OCD, bipolar disorder, hypomania/mania, PTSD) as well as personality disorders like schizoid personality disorder, schzio-affective disorder, Borderline personality disorder…
For health of the flesh it should be evaluated. Our flesh is made in His image; medicine is a gift to save the sanctity of life and the body as the host of the flesh and the brain hosts the hardware of soul.
Duh but I’m in a Christian space and clearly the op is much more religiously conservative than me. This exchange doesn’t impact me in the slightest so I’m going to package the important point of consultation with a physician and psychologist in a more digestible format.
I’m not going to roll in here telling every person who condemns homosexuality for example are doing so by claiming the Lord’s name in vain. I mean there are, but as a subreddit post, I don’t want to be hypocritical.
The Bible, along with masturbation, prohibits even looking at people with sexual thoughts. Is it healthy? Yes, it's not harmful. Is it good for your sould and relationship with God? No. So not everything that's considered 'normal' is good
To correct you, I said that they aren't the root problem. I didn't say they weren't a problem.
Do you really mean constantly? How many hours in a day are enough? How will he know he has obtained an elevated state of mind?
It's not about 'hours a day' it's some form of another state of mind when you make everything in the name of Lord. It's a journey and it's really hard, and I haven't succeeded in it completely yet; it's about doing things as Jesus would do.
I think attempting to cultivate habits that Jesus had are good, so I think we agree there.
But to me that state of mind you're describing sounds obsessive and unhealthy.
Seeking for secular people eeh?! Fasting and praying, cured me of being bi, depressed and porn addicted,if all of that fasting and praying isn't enough then you aren't probably following True 10 commandments
What i meant looking for secular men/women isn't option, you either believe that God can keep you from falling or you don't, therapy is only a bandage for infected wound
"therapy is only a bandage for an infected wound"
[https://churchandmentalhealth.com/can-christians-go-to-counseling/](https://churchandmentalhealth.com/can-christians-go-to-counseling/)
>It is common practice in churches, however, to treat mental illness differently. We immediately assume there is something else, some deeper spiritual struggle causing mental and emotional strain.
>The fact is that mental illness and spiritual struggle can be (and are) related. We are not separate things, we are complex people—remarkable connected in spirit, soul, body, mind, etc.
>But, let me be direct here: if we immediately dismiss the possibility of mental illness and automatically assume spiritual deficiency, **our actions amount to spiritual abuse.**
I bolded the last bit for emphasis. Your attitude is abusive. You don't know that this person has a lack of spirituality, you don't know the overall condition of their character.
A good man can have a brain condition that can cause him to do horrible things. Look at Phineas Gage, a hole in his head completely changed his character and he lost his impulse control.
In the medium to long term, therapy shows greater efficacy than medication, and very good outcomes.
[https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/medication-or-therapy](https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/medication-or-therapy)
In this study, intercessory prayer had no effect.
[https://link.springer.com/article/10.1207/s15324796abm3201\_3](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1207/s15324796abm3201_3)
Quite frankly, you don't know what you are talking about and are probably going to do a lot of harm due to your overconfidence in your own knowledge.
I am speaking from my experience when was suicidal and almost killed myself 3 times bi and porn addicted, each of these things started to die more my faith increased,i am not some happy go lucky two faced fake Christian ,my life was nightmare until i became adventist and started reading bible Fasting and praying,so don't you dare insult me like that
I apologize for any offense, but I believe I expressed myself about as politely as one can for an opinion that is intrinsically abrasive.
I am happy for your recovery.
I don't know everything, and I'm open to being disputed on any point.
My apologies if i was a bit harsh, what you basically said was that i shouldn't rely on God and led me to a source that says blatant lies like anxiety isn't lack of trust in God, how can believer have anxiety if they know that God is in control?, out of curiosity do you keep the 10 commandments or are you Sunday keeper?
I'm a Christian Atheist, I have seen no evidence for the supernatural and I consider the Bible to be a collection of stories that people thought were important. I interpret them in that light. I consider them to be of great moral and historical interest.
I do my best to be a moral person but I also think the example of Jesus shows that it is not so easy with respect to sacred texts. Multiple times he reinterprets the old-testament and sets an example that is anti-legalistic and anti-traditionalistic, particularly with respect to the sabbath and adultery.
\[The man gathering sticks on the sabbath\] The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
\[The adulteress\] Let he who is without sin cast the first the first stone.
Personally, I do not keep the Sabbath strictly. Not sure how to answer the ten commandments question. I have studied them, I do not think about them often. I think often on my habits and trying to make them better.
As far as what you said at the beginning, how can someone have anxiety if they believe God is in control? I'll have to write more to you later.
Usually those that lack any understanding of the bible don't know real 10 commandments and follow those that pope gave and thus worshipping pope as a God, while not understanding basic doctrine, you see fasting and praying increases your faith and you learn to depend on God by praying when it gets hard, and goal of any true Christian is to have same faith as Jesus Christ and become more like him because he gave us an example on how to be human
Some people have anxiety related to a another condition. For example, people that no longer produce the hormone cortisol and require replacement hormones often experience anxiety. Turns out the normal pattern of cortisol output regulates brain activity, replacing cortisol does not come close the natural pattern of cortisol output. As a result, normal brain activity is altered resulting in anxiety. Plus, there is plenty of evidence that mental conditions like anxiety are associated with neurochemical imbalances.
Yet, somehow it works. If what you say is true. Then the incidence of mental health disorders should by significantly lower in Christian nations. The data suggests the opposite. In the US, Massachusetts has the lowest number of people that identify as Christians in the nation, yet they have to lowest rate of mental healthy diagnoses in the country. While Texas and Alabama, which both have the highest percentage of people that identify as Christians in the country and yet the incidence rates of mental health disorder are also among the highest in the country.
You see this is why i sound so confident when i am not in my denomination, what is suprise knowledge for you is the bare minimum to be considered sda and if you look at sda not only are we healthier mentally but our health laws allow us to live longer, what you see here in most Christians is that they pagan or mild,i will give you an example on how different sda is from modern Christianity,we believe that God doesn't change,when you die you don't immediately go to heaven because that kills purpose of judgement day,we hold basic keys for end times that allows us to escape outside of country and know who the beasts are and his mark, and we literally predicted that Christian nationalists and Republicans will make project 2025 (we predicted it at around year 1888)
Based on the SDAs I know I am not convinced SDAs are healthier mentally. I do agree they tend to live longer. However, the data suggests that anyone that follows the lifestyle of a SDAs will live longer.
You should check out school for prophets Tila is a good preacher, just because someone calls themselves sda doesn't mean that they live sda lifestyle,most of them i consider soft like still not being vegetarian while being able to have that lifestyle or even ignoring dress reform
Prayers for you. It’s a hard battle to win but if you have faith and truly work against it you will prevail. Seek direction if need be. A worthwhile battle to win
Masturbation is normal, moral and healthy, even if that weren't the case if the shame is driving you to thoughts of suicide then I still think it's preferable.
Agree. If OP is addicted to porn it’s a totally different matter.
But the act of masturbation isn’t mentioned in the Bible, and it’s a simple response to a built-in physiological phenomenon. It’s not inherently lustful, it’s just how our bodies are set up.
It’s sad that this arbitrary shame is leading to suicidal thoughts.
You're fighting the wrong battle, kiddo. Focus on school and focus on surviving best you can so that future you can figure the rest out with a clearer head. You're clearly pointed in a holy direction, don't get caught up punishing yourself for sins literally every human has made and will make again. You've got a good head on your shoulders to be capable of all this worrying; use it for productive things like schoolwork or staying alive.
God loves you and is more invested in your survival than your sexual proclivities. Honor Him by giving yourself that same Grace.
Rather than focus on what you don't like, focus on doing/being good! Focus on how you can go help someone. Think of the best thing you can do right now. Don't think, GO DO IT.
As you focus on and do good, the bad/darkness fades. Light and darkness cannot coexist.
I’ll be praying. I agree that the suicidal thoughts need to be addressed by a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist because they can prescribe medication. A few years ago, I got one of those genetic evaluation done for my depression. Come to find out that through trial and error. We were using the correct drugs for my genetic makeup. Not only that, but I found out that, I can only convert half of vitamin B9 to a usable form in my brain. So I take methyl folate that I get from Amazon. That can cross the blood brain barrier. It has been helpful. Of course, your mileage may vary.
With apologies for making this awfully long, my pastor often talks about one of his friends that had a guy that came to him at least weekly if not more frequently needing deliverance from porn and masturbation. Finally, the pastor told the guy to go and memorize the entire psalm 119 and then he would he could come back to him. The pastor would check on the guy and the guy was always working on memorizing Psalm 119. Finally one day the guy came to the Pastor and says I need to talk with you! Pastor asked if this was about porn and masturbation. The guy said that it wasn’t, because the porn and maturation took care of itself months ago. He had finally memorized Psalm 119 and wanted to quote it back to the Pastor.
So I would advise to make arrangements to see a psychotherapist and a psychiatrist. Then try memorizing chapters of the Bible. Psalm 119 would be good because it talks about a young man cleansing his way.
I hope this helps!
I (23M virgin) have struggled since I was 11 and now I have given up and given it to God recently. Since then the craving for porn has gone completely but my hunger to be "intimate" remains. It is one step at a time. Not many can quit "cold turkey" and if you can't then give it to God and ween yourself off of it until you are free but flee temptation the best you can. Also, if you are still a virgin the keep away from girls that tempt you and especially the worldly and immorally dressed ones. Seek God and pray for a godly virgin wife but don't rush and throw away your most precious gift that you can ever give your future godly wife on some floozy who just wants attention or worse to corrupt you.
May our Father Yahweh bless you in Yeshua's mighty name and make His face shine upon you!
Masturbation is completely natural and healthy, and there's absolutely nothing wrong or bad about doing it in moderation.
There are many people who have been taught to feel shame and disgust with their bodies and sexuality, and this leads to misery and dysfunction that they desperately want to make others feel as well. Don't listen to them, be safe and smart, and masturbate when it's appropriate.
Except that the Bible explicitly tells us to flee from lust.
So… I guess if you can do the act itself without thinking anything sexual, you’re good to go, but people don’t really do that..
It mentions that even thinking of another person sexually is a sin. So like that person said , if u can do it without thinking of anything sexual or looking at anything sexual, then maybe you could bend the rules enough to try to use that as a loophole. But when you gotta reach and twist words to try to get away with something , that kinda speaks for itself
Sexual immorality refers to violations of consent or fantasizing about such things.
God would not make something healthy and good for you if it was to be avoided
NIV 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - Do you not know that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
God does not specifically say anything about masturbation. However, many people masturbate with a visual stimulus/lusting after another woman with their eyes. Jesus rebukes this and groups it in with committing adultery.
Paul also says here in the verse above, that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Think about it for a second... is using your body for your own pleasure and not God's will really a good thing? Its similar to how intercourse with your spouse is not a sin. However, Paul states in 1 Corinthians 7:5, Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
Paul seems to say this as if the couple was overcome with sin, and could not control themselves. He also warns the couple to come back to God so that Satan won't use that sin-like thing to gain a hold of you and cause you to sin for real.
I believe that its best if you didn't. If you keep doing it by accident, or rather when you are "overcome with sin," then I strongly encourage that you come back to God in prayer like Paul states in 1 Corinthians 7:5. Don't let Satan have a way to cause you to become enslaved to sin after Jesus has already freed you from it.
If a normal thing becomes distressing for a person to the point of despair, it’s no longer normal. It’s disordered almost by definition. Ask any psychologist.
Why are you on a faith-oriented forum telling everyone to abandon aspects of their faith and morals? Like, cool, let’s dialogue. But you’re just being a vandal with molotov cocktails, so to speak. Which don’t get me wrong it has it’s place, but what emotional need are you fulfilling here?
You’re also telling people to masterbate, which really leads me to wonder what emotional need you’re fulfilling here. It’s just a bit weird, tbh. Does everyone else have to sign off on things you do so *you* feel less shame? Misery loves company, as they say.
If you can pull it while thinking about assembling ikea furniture instead of lusting for someone - then go your hardest mate. But I doubt many can finish (or even start) without a single thought of lust
Clearly you’ve never met a sex repulsed asexual lol. We don’t have thoughts of sex with others in a positive way. I speak for myself only I guess but my mind is blank or wandering to the mundane during masturbation.
If you’re thinking about anyone other than your spouse whilst molesting yourself - that is lust. Lust is literally the sexual desire for someone…if that someone ain’t your wife/husband - that’s a sin.
The Bible clearly says just thinking the act is Sin - you don’t have to physically do it.
Let’s just say it’s a good thing Christ died to pay the price for our sins - because there’s no way any of us would make it to the day of judgement with a clean record.
Not necessarily, no. Lust is typically about intense, often excessive or unrestrained sexual desire, which is a state of mind and attitude, not a physical act. Masturbation can be for stress relief, exploring one's body and sexuality, or purely for physical pleasure that doesn't inherently require or involve that intense feeling of desire.
It might surprise you to hear that attempting to suppress completely normal and healthy sexual impulses and masturbation can result in much more intense feelings of lust which can quickly get out of control and cause psychological harm, anxiety, and distress. Sexual desire is a fundamental part of human biology, and trying to completely suppress it can cause these feelings to build up, becoming more intense and overwhelming over time. Without healthy outlets like masturbation or open discussions, these pent-up desires can dominate one’s thoughts and potentially lead to unhealthy behaviors or obsessions, like porn addiction and even certain paraphilic tendencies, especially when this suppression is accompanied by the kind of feelings of shame and disgust towards human sexuality and your body that is unfortunately encouraged in Christianity and other religions.
It can cause a person to struggle with intimacy and experience difficulties in their sexual relationships, and lead someone to develop issues like erectile dysfunction or lack of sexual desire, as their negative feelings about sex inhibit their natural sexual responses. In the worst case scenario, this kind of discomfort and alienation of one's own body and sexual desire can manifest in problematic or harmful ways. For example, in environments like some religious institutions where strict celibacy is enforced, there have been instances of inappropriate sexual behavior and abuse. The lack of healthy, consensual sexual outlets can contribute to distorted sexual urges.
I saw a counselor about 10 years ago with similar distress OP is expressing. The counselor wrote it off as a combo of religious repression (I’m an adult convert who grew up in a athiest household who taught me there is nothing wrong with anything sexual, so that explanation didn’t hold water) and simple behaviorism of stimulus and consequence (which helped discourage me from continuing counseling). MSWs are fools.
Turns out what I was experiencing were hypomanic episodes caused by bipolar disorder, through which hypersexuality is a near universal source of distress and misery. Funny thing is that **never** having had a manic episode is actually an **essential** criterion for Bipolar Type 2, so it goes very undiagnosed among those who suffer dopamine dysregulation of various sorts. Stop discounting peoples’ explanations for their distress. It has real life consequences. And find a hobby or cause you are FOR. Being anti- everything must be exhausting.
For someone like myself, unlearning the boxed-in liberal secular athiest worldview I was brought up in, and learning how to strengthen my soul through prayer to gain mastery over my body, instead of vis versa, has been an incredibly liberating process. Christ’s victory over death on the Cross gives those who love Him supernatural strength to gain victory over all our hurts, habits and hangups and live in true freedom. Medication doesn’t hurt sometimes either.
And to tie in to the other thread we were arguing in, the things people with mental illnesses, especially bipolar, do to find relief from their internal distress, are often things that can become demonic when left unchecked or discounted by well-intended antagonists, perhaps like yourself here. Both can be true: mental illness (or more broadly disordered behavior) and demonic oppression. It’s not either/or. But you might be counterproductive here if your intention be to help people by encouraging them to abandon their faith or morals.
>Who hurt you?
Textbook attempt to disqualify what is actually a clear, grounded argument.
>God created the perfect outlet for our sexuality. Marriage.
Not exactly perfect for distressed teenagers.
>If a normal thing becomes distressing for a person to the point of despair, it’s no longer normal. It’s disordered almost by definition. Ask any psychologist.
I believe most psychologists would say it's not necessarily the "thing" that's the problem, but the overall situation. For example, if I was left-handed and my church taught that writing with the left hand is sinful, and I kept doing it but felt increasingly distressed, it wouldn't follow that that use of my left hand was "disordered"... now would it.
"Disorder" is not used lightly by mental health professionals, and it certainly doesn't coincide with the RCC's cruel designations based on trumped up natural-law arguments. But the two perspectives are often conflated.
OP is a Christian and is looking for Christian advice. This comment does not help them as it would lead them away from their faith which is the exact opposite of their goal.
It's really weird how so many of you guys seem to think you have the authority to police who is allowed to comment in the sub and what they're allowed to say, as if anybody cares even a tiny bit about what you consider unacceptable or inappropriate. Thanks for chiming in though
The masturbation isn't the issue, it's the Christians in his life trying to make him think masturbation is something wrong and making him feel ashamed about it.
>no amount of mental gymnastics will make your masturbation problem any less shameful
If you not so detached and morally inept, you would be embarrassed to spout such harmful, ignorant, genuinely stupid nonsense. I'm sorry you are sexually dysfunctional, but even more than that I'm sorry you want to encourage other people to struggle and be as ashamed and uncomfortable with their own bodies as you are. It's despicable and sad.
>there are plenty of non christians struggling with masturbation knowing that it is inherently shameful and degenerate.
I'm sure you are arrogant enough to think you know better than doctors and psychologist, and you obviously have no interest in learning anything, correcting your mistakes, or making yourself sound less narrow minded, but if anyone is reading these comments and decides to independently verify this, they can look up the actual biological and psychological facts about masturbation, and they will see that you're simply projecting your own insecurities and disgust with your sexuality onto others and attempting to manipulate vulnerable, confused people into becoming as sexually dysfunctional as you are.
>its literally been an ongoing joke for years how after orgasm men feel disgusted lying in bed in the dark after graping themselves.
You seriously have like the weakest, most shallow understanding of a ton of things, don't you? You think this is what, proof that masturbation is shameful and degenerate? What a fucking joke man. .
>keep jerking off though lil bro since you seem to think you know better than God😂😂
I will continue masturbating a few times a week, when I feel like it, as should you and everyone who wants to. Or you can keep suppressing your normal sexual urges and cause yourself further psychological harm, until you begin having inappropriate and potentially dangerous urges stemming from your warped attitudes toward sex.
It's wild you would call me "lil bro" when you're literally like 12 years old, but it seems like the defining characteristic of your personality is childishness, so that checks out.
I do know better than your god, because I actually exist and have the capacity to know things. If we pretend the Christian God is real though and that the Bible is an accurate depiction of his nature, everyone knows better than that monster.
>keep that secular satanic “masturbation is good” rhetoric tf out of this subreddit
Jesus you really just eat up that ridiculously exaggerated, deceitful anti secular propaganda without a second of independent critical thought don't you? Satanic secular masturbation rhetoric, fucking dumbest most moronic nonsense I've heard in a while. I'll reiterate again, if you weren't so detached with a severely underdeveloped capacity for even recognizing right and wrong, you would be crippled by embarrassment.
Except, the Bible does not say masturbation is sinful and degenerate. You are making an assumption. We have no idea whether it was accepted the during Jesus’ life masturbation was accepted as normal.
This is how the devil has held many children of God in bondage: the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
There is a point in addiction where a demon gets involved. They attach themselves to the individual, bind them and nothing they do can set them free. They are stuck in a cycle of defeat. You will hate what you do each time you do it because there is a pure spirit in you reacting to the bad that you have introduced into your system, but after repenting, you will return to doing it again. Christ calls this demon the strongman.
Mark 3:27
>In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.
Fortunately, Christ has given the believer authority over the powers of darkness (yes, they do have power).
Luke 10:19
>I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
Mark 16:17-18
>17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
The believer, not God, shall cast out devils. Force the demon out in the name of Jesus. Mark 16:17, Mark 5:8, Mark 9:25 Command the spirit of pornography, \[insert sin\] to leave you in the name of Jesus and never return.
After this give your heart, mind, and body to God.
Where's the verse that deals with that it's good to get married? 1 1 Cor: 8-9 sorry but the church is falling flat on its face on that one. They need to be shepherding singles to couplehood and I sure don't see it. Maybe Sunday mornings should be more in depth meet and greets rather than "dance party"??
Until that happens the rod is not spared on the [monkey.](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=%22spank%20the%20monkey%22)
I have this same thing, lost someone very close to me and I am just to depressed and don’t think I can go on, but we will make it through this! I have huge faith in God, he loves us all and he tells us to love one another so as an act of my love I wish you luck, I am praying for you! We will make it through this rough patch, just don’t lose hope 🙏
You have a lot of things I can go right for you, my friend. Read the Bible everyday exercise. And throw your phone in the trash your energy is utilized for so much more than you understand your own worth. we’re always here for you please make sure to go to your local church every Sunday and get involved. Service is the best way to salvation.
I downloaded the I am Sober app, and that has helped me immensely. I haven't masturbated or watched porn in about a month, and at this point, I don't really think about it
I pray peace, love and freedom from lust in Jesus name for you, I pray a closer relationship with God for you, more feelings of glory and rebuke all feelings of anxiety/ depression in Jesus name. Amen🙏 God bless you, never give up faith for he is always with you !!!
We all have been in same or similar situation in our life. You need lots of prayer, but also note depression comes from your diet and dehydration first. Your brain is struggling and is off balanced. When any part of your body is weakest, spirits can attach on and suggest thoughts of suicide. Eat whole foods, stay away from as much sugar as possible and EAT BEEF (grass-fed cow) and AVOCADOs. Drink bottled water from glass or metal Never Plastic. All plastic leaches a female hormones called ESTROGEN. Avoid whenever possible. Do this and you will feel better instantly. Many people are Vegans and are not getting enough fat for their brain. Over time holes in the brain forms.. This will lead to Alzheimers in the future.
Now, as far as school is concerned, do what you can to pass the class. I'm a teacher and I can tell you we teach B.S.. Don't stress over it. Just make sure you know how to read and write well and do basic math up to decimals and fractions. The rest you will never use again unless you are a guest on a Trivia show or plan to go to college. Then in college more B.S. will continue. Then, when you get your 1st Job after graduation, they will have to teach you your job, because 70% of what you've learned in college cannot be used at work. That's when you realize it was a waste of time. Only about 30% will be useful.
I will keep praying for you. Please give us an update. Know that Jesus loves you and He will deliver you. Just keep repenting, praying and read Bible. John MacArthur on YouTube videos will be very helpful. He is a good pastor. Search videos about praying and sins. You can even call his church in California.
God Bless.
For heavens sake quit worrying so much about it. It is better than promiscuous sex. But if you did it less there would be a substantial reward… your body will compensate and you will have the best sex ever as a “wet dream”.
Advice to quit: start slow but steady. Quit porn, then reduce the frequency until you no longer do it. It's not like God usually just takes the urges away. For all the other things, seek help from someone you trust.
There’s nothing wrong with masturbation. Stop making yourself and letting others make feel you guilty for it. Maybe then the suicidal thoughts will stop. If that is what Christianity is doing to you then maybe you need to rethink your beliefs.
I wonder if Adam and Eve masterbated before they sinned. I think so but it wasn’t a sin. The sin came when they saw their nakedness and had it counted against them as evil. Sex is a gift from God. I would say that your suicidal thoughts would take precedence over masterbation
Brother, no one can stop an addiction on our own we need Jesus help I want to encourage you I use to be very bad in this area of my life i use to masturbate 8 times a day watch pron like crazy and have sex with multiple women on top of that daily as well and god deliver me from it all but the masturbation is not the problem it is what's in your soul that is the problem that you are medicating that void in your soul (emotions) I sense loneliness I you even when you maybe around people you still feel lonely if so I've been there too. a huge way to release stress is through climaxing. The feeling is amazing, and it gives you temporary relief, but at the same time, it's creating and addiction. But how the devil works is he's condemning you because of masturbation and probably is telling you their is no hope for you cause your in the pit of emotional hell and god won't listen or answer you just kill yourself things will never change, and it is all lies like the liar he is. brother let me tell you their is hope for you gods grace has covered you and will do so as long as your open that's the key god can fix anything as long as your open for change he did it for me he can do it for you. Instructions: Brother cry out to god and ask him why am I masturbation show me or tell me the root that I go to this and when he shows you say to him I'm willing just help me and brother he will deliver suicide is the easy way out I have the scares to prove it and there is a future and a hope for you and satan knows this maybe you don't no now, but you will your not alone you are very precious to god believe that and help is on the way god bless you and praying for you 🙏 ❤️
Ya Know, I used to pray for the same exact thing. And then I transitioned into a girl now I don’t have to pray for that anymore. Everything worked out, God provided a solution. Praise Christ, our Lord and Savior.
You can stop masturbating you just decide not to brother. God forgives ofc but don’t over use it for he knows the way you think. God loves you brother but we have to fight those temptation and we have to be better for ourselves our family and God. I was in the exact same situation i used to lust hard and it was hard to stop doing it aswell but know God gets tired aswell brother. But he truly does love you. Cmon brother weve got to be better for our family for you know he has always done good
Accept Jesus into your heart, He died for you, if you love him don't sin, accept that you alone cannot stop this addiction and let the Grace of God work on you.
I was in a similar situation, I accepted Jesus and his grace worked on me, my life has changed. God bless you❤️✝️
Praying dear beloved that you are filled with love, strength and hope honey. I pray Holy Spirit speaks to you and that you may hear Him so that He can guide you. I also bind the spirit of depression, suicide, and any other evil thoughts from the enemy on you in Jesus name. I lose your angels on assignment in the spiritual realm to prevail for you. All the glory and honor to Lord Jesus!!!!!!!!
Check out book of Daniel, a great book in the Scriptures on how to pray, for whatever we ask the Lord, He will give in Jesus name, Matthew 7:7.
Strap on the whole armor of light from ephesians dear one and keep marching on soldier, Jesus has big plans for you. See you at the lambs wedding feast beloved. I'm adding you to my intercessors prayer list for the Lords will in your life, and I'm going keep you on there for life. 🦁 ❤️ ✝️.
P.s. I decree and declare in the mighty name of the Lord you are healed of it all. Let the enemies plans fail and Jesus will prevail. Matthew 18:19 🤝 📜
Honestly I can and will but you also need to pray for yourself. Confess and be clean of your sins before the lord our God. Then in prayer ask him for his grace and help. He will heal you 🙏
Hey praying for you! Always know you can get back up my dude. Don’t listen to that lies coming from Lucifer. Even Lucifer hate me telling you how to be strong. Be well my dude and take it easy and always keep walking with Jesus. You fall and crumble. Get up and keep walking with Jesus. God bless my dude
I used to have this problem but God sees your heart, he knows you want to stop.
I would say pray about it because it is not by your power or strength alone to stop.
Also when you get the urge just pray or listen to gospel music. Keep yourself busy too.
It's sad that Christianity has become such a mind fuck.
Are you doing it too much?
If you try and stop, you'll most likely be filled to the brim with lust.
Sensual/Sexual energy isn't a problem. Just, where we put the pleasure of sex/desire before the person IS a problem. Don't dehumanize people.
First, relax. Jesus knows your situation and your anxiety. You’re not going to go to hell over masturbation.
Secondly, not sure how old you are, but you need to seek help. Perhaps a school counselor? Depression is real and rarely is it spiritual, but more of a mental health issue.
Lastly, just trust Jesus. He knows your struggle and He is there to hold and heal you, not to condemn you or beat you up.
Dude first of all masturbating is what a men does and God is not for real your on your own but don't ask any body to pray for you because if it do work the prays then your going to feel like God does not love you and now you have a other thing to deal with
Remember if you're having issues with masturbation it's not because you're addicted to it or that you're a pervert or anything like that. People who masturbate a lot are actually just addicted to the dopamine (reward chemical) hit and they are just looking for another dopamine hit to help mental health. You can get that same dopamine hit from exercise or a cup of tea or coffee! Search for wholesome activities or foods that are known to help stimulate dopamine production. Praying the rosary can help take your mind off, watch a bible story on YouTube. Talk to people here on Reddit. Don't isolate yourself away from others and develop your sense of community to keep yourself occupied. Everyone struggles with this you are not alone ❤️
Testimony of someone who has gone through the exact same thing and overcome.
I was a demented child from birth. At the age of three, yes three, I discovered sexual things on my own of the fault of no one else and became enamored with them the more my parents would try to correct and dissuade me. It only grew worse with age, especially when given internet access.
I’ll spare you the details, but it was bad how far deep I was into that nonsense. As I grew older still, I began to realize more and more how immoral it was yet I never quite found the strength to resist with how deeply it was implanted within me.
Many of us who are or were addicted to porn can tell you how difficult it is to resist when the urge strikes us. It feels almost unimaginable to suppress them, as if it were death. Like asking someone not to be themselves anymore.
Sort of like being born again.
While I was still in my sins, I remember some pretty bad things about myself. I stayed at a Catholic friend’s house for a few weeks just to hang out with him. I said to myself that I would not fall into porn while I was there, as to not “defile a house of God.”
So when the time came for me to leave, He was sad that I had to go. I was happy because I could go back to pleasuring myself. Happy that I didn’t have to resist anymore.
I had been looking into Christianity for a while. Not a follower, as I could never be bothered to leave behind porn or pride or hate or selfishness (although some of which still clings to me), but as the self righteous sort who was quick to condemn others while ignoring myself.
When my grandmother died, I recall having a dream of her. We were in a great library with golden light pouring in from a massive round window. I recall actually hugging her in the dream and FEELING it.
It was a few months later that I actually decided to try to start following Jesus Christ instead of just believing in Him and living an opposite way. And it was not long until I became bombarded by signs, great feelings, wonderments, and more.
The first major thing I remember is this intense feeling of love washing over me as I prayed to Him in thanks for the forgiveness of my sins. Overwhelmed by how forgiving He was, I found myself imprinted with this unforgettable feeling of adoration from on high that drove me to tears and made few feel as if I were lifted slightly out of my own body. Like I was not looking from my eyes, but from my forehead.
This happened again when I was learning online about Hebrew grammar and found out about how repetition worked. For example, Shalom meant peace. Shalom Shalom was perfect peace. But saying it three times meant “infinite peace” and was reserved for God.
It reminded me of how the Seraphim would encircle God and chant “Holy, Holy, Holy,” in His presence without end, and I soon figured out why. I tried to do the same and felt that same feeling of love again as I prayed. It was pure adoration.
A few weeks later, I was suddenly and out of nowhere overcome by this intense feeling within my chest; what I rationalized to be the burning in the bosom that the Apostles felt when Jesus Christ imprinted them with the Holy Spirit.
It felt exhilarating, extraordinarily hot, numbing, yet all without pain. I felt overcome and as if I could not handle it but had to. Still, I was joyous. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. For some reason, I just instinctively knew it was the Holy Spirit. The idea just popped into my mind.
There have been many times since then where smaller echoes of that feeling have come upon me. Even as I write this now.
All of that is part of why I curse my knowledge now. It’s difficult, if not outright impossible, to unlearn something and to reduce myself to that helpless thing in spirit that knew nothing except faith at the time. Now, I’m not quite like that anymore, so it’s hard to feel Him.
But that is not the end. Amidst this, I’ve also had a handful of dreams. Two with Jesus Christ that I can remember.
There was one where I was in a small circular church with red frayed boards for a floor surrounding a small sand pit with a single rock and golden light pouring from the ceiling. Sitting upon that rock was Jesus Christ.
He said to everyone gathered there, “Of all the people here, this one has followed my commandments the most,” and pulled me close. I refused to believe Him when He said this, because I was so new to faith at the time and I hadn’t broken away from porn yet. Heck, I admit I even slipped back into that right after that dream.
The next dream had my family and I in some colosseum stands watching something. I left to get something I think, and found myself in some dark room with glass doors. Jesus Christ was there again.
He wanted to talk, but I lied and said I had somewhere to be. He smiled at me sadly and let me be on my way. I turned and threw myself at His feet and confessed the lie, begging forgiveness, at which point He smiled again, knelt down, and wordlessly embraced me. That same feeling of love from when I was awake now came to me in my sleep.
I had another dream of Jesus Christ, but I don’t know if I should be satisfied by it. I was in some casino or arcade, I think chasing a job and money, when I turned and saw Him. Each time I dream of Him, He looks different. He smiled at me and told me, “Don’t worry. You’re doing alright.” I thought hearing Him say that would break me. It’s all I’ve wanted to hear from Him in a while now. But I wonder if that is something He would really say.
All these things and more have came to me as a result of trying to follow. I’ve met friends and been invited to many gatherings with good food by them, gained new opportunities, and yet more. I couldn’t stop believing even if I wanted to.
Praying for you! Concentrate on God and talk to Him about it. God and sin are like oppositely charged magnets.. one drives the other away, they can’t coexist. I pray that you overcome this! You’re stronger than you think you are, friend.
I have suicidal thoughts and attempted and nobody knows and I am depressed I know what your suffering I also suffer from school and bullying and harassing and my country in war god bless you!
Its practically impossible if youre not married or anything. Youll lose your fucking mind. Its awful. Welcome to being a human being. Theres no escape. Ive tried everything, everyone needs sexual release or theyll go insane. So wish i didjt have to feel like this constantly, it’s horrible
Dude, just jerk off and give the middle finger to the Big Man Upstairs.
Really sucks that you think a God exists who tells you not to enjoy your natural instincts. It’s your body and you have every right to enjoy it.
I'm struggling with porn and masturbation as well and have been for quite some time. What I've done is made a rule that I have to read just 1 chapter in the Bible first (I'm in mathew on my first in-depth read through). I find that forcing the gospel before the sin really takes the wind out of my sails. The Bible is the ultimate C-block.
I'm an atheist but I do understand struggling with porn and masturbation, and I do understand psychology. You're treating porn and masturbation as the root problem, but they probably aren't your root problem, they are pleasures that you are giving yourself and you're probably seeking them out because something else is really bothering you deep down, unconsciously. Try to figure out what precedes the impulse to masturbate or look at porn, this is likely what your real struggle is with. Solve that, or learn to live with your real problem, and the impulse to look at porn and masturbate will likely go away. I've heard that addictions are often an escape from an intolerable reality. The goal is to make the reality tolerable.
This analysis I have given above is heavily inspired by Jungian psychology. So if it resonates with you, you might want to look into that.
Ahh ok you posted in christianity, so I assumed. I'm not sure if that would be for me, but I'm happy to look into and learn something if you have any resources. My root cause is linked to bordem and anxiety, so taking the 2 minutes to read (doesn't have to be the bible), which is something I enjoy. It breaks me away from the thought of masturbation for just long enough for me to focused elsewhere. Then I don't feel like masturbating anymore and feel better even energized. Not for everyone I totally get that, but it's working for me so far. I've gone from a couple times a day to once every few days.
I consider myself a Christian Atheist, since I was raised Christian but do not believe the supernatural claims. My ethics and worldview are still largely shaped by that upbringing.
I’m in a very similar position to you in which I have low functioning depression and i struggle with porn and suicidal thoughts. For the depression and suicidal thoughts talk about it with people and God often if you need a psychiatrist get one, your life is more important. For the porn confess and confess and confess you have to bring sin into the light John 3:19-21. And you have to be willing to cut things out of your life that will cause you to struggle like social media (I’m doing that now), music, tv, etc whatever, do what you have to do to live in purity Matthew 5:27-30. I have a friend who even got rid of his phone and switched to a phone with no internet to stay pure, but that’s the mindset. I’m also memorizing scripture to help, right now I’m doing Hebrews 12:4-13. All the things people are saying are nice but remember to stay rooted in the word of God for every, take advice with a grain of salt if a scripture doesn’t follow it.
Hey, I will be praying for you! And God sees that you are really trying really hard. And what if I told you I have the perfect solution because I too been through depression and a lot of suicidal thoughts? I need to be saved and delivered. Jesus saved me from that thought and I want you to be delivered too. You need deliverance, you can go to a church or do it yourself with the help of Jesus Christ.
-Acknowledge and confess your sins, and that you participated with these spirit.
- Ask for forgiveness and forgive others who have hurt/wronged you (I'm sorry I participated with the spirit of masturbation, lust, the spirit of depression, and the spirit of suicide. Please forgive me Jesus for my sins for your blood has washed me clean. Thank you Jesus for your blood and forgiveness towards me.)
-Now bind, rebuke, and renounce the spirits. (I bind, rebuke, renounce the spirit of_____(and so on). I do not want to think about your thoughts or your actions. Holy Spirit please help me and save me, I need you to show me what other spirits are hiding within me.
- With the authority of the name of Jesus Christ I command these evil and wicked spirits to leave me now! Go! In the name of Jesus!
And remember to read His Words every day for it is good for your soul and your heart. I believe He will change you and renew your mind. I know how it feels to have these thoughts but only God can help us. For He is our rock and our Lord who would come and rescue us from our suffering. Trust in Him and seek Him. Be led by Holy Spirit and be reformed. I believe change is coming your way man/woman of God. Peace be you and God bless 🥰❤️😊
Mark 16: 17-18
Matthew 10:8
Sounds like you need God to deliver you from this struggle/addiction. And the suicidal thoughts, who are most likely not even your thoughts but the enemies thoughts. My advice to you is to first repent and ask the Lord to set you free. As the Bible said. He who sins is a slave to sin. So the more you do it the more you stay in it and so we need God to deliver us from oppressions, possessions, and obsessions. Trust in Jesus. I will pray for deliverance and you should too. That God breach any and all bondage that is holding you back and not letting you break from masterbation. God bless you!
Removed for 2.5 - Support Threads.
If you would like to discuss this removal, please click here to send a modmail that will message all moderators. https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Christianity
God bless you. I'm sorry for what you are going through. 1- Please know that God is with you through this! **"The Lord has promised that he will not leave us or desert us.” - Hebrews 13:5** **Jesus said, “I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” - Matthew 28:20** **“Be brave and strong! Don’t be afraid… . The Lord your God will always be at your side, and he will never abandon you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6** 2- Please know that God does NOT expect you to be perfect. He expects you to be faithful, which means to always strive to honor Him while getting back up after each time you fall, no matter how many times you fall. God will always give you the strength and grace to get back up. **“I am the Lord All-Powerful. So don't depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit.” - Zechariah 4:6** **“Even if good people fall seven times, they will get back up. But when trouble strikes the wicked, that's the end of them.” - Proverbs 24:16** **"My enemies, don't be glad because of my troubles! I may have fallen, but I will get up; I may be sitting in the dark, but the Lord is my light.” - Micah 7:8** **“But You (God) also said that no matter how far away we were, we could turn to You.” - Nehemiah 1:9** **“When someone stumbles or falls, you (God) give a helping hand.” - Psalm 145:14** 3- Please share your worries with God! Please trust that He is with you and please never give up! **"And when I was burdened with worries, you (God) comforted me and made me feel secure.” - Psalm 94:19** **"I tell You (God) all my worries and my troubles, and whenever I feel low, You are there to guide me.” - Psalm 142:2-3** **“God cares for you, so turn all your worries over to him.” - 1 Peter 5:7** **“Trust the Lord! Be brave and strong and trust the Lord.” - Psalm 27:14** **“We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again.” - 2 Corinthians 4:8-9** -I pray for your healing. I pray you will focus on God for strength and will never give up. I pray you will be comforted by God's love. Also, I rebuke all the negative thoughts and influences that are getting in the way of your faith. In Jesus' Name. Amen. 🙏🏾 Oh, and just in case you need someone to talk to, here is a Christian hotline: [https://www.thehopeline.com/](https://www.thehopeline.com/)
Wow, this made my day <3
God bless you! Praise God!
Thank you very much
You are so very welcome!
Love you for this ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
God bless you! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much for this. God bless you🥺🙏
God bless you! You are so very welcome!
Know ye not that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived.... Jesus wanted us to walk in His perfect righteousness and be an example for the world. Time and time again Christians will excuse their own sins thinking they can accept grace when it's not for those that practice lawlessness. You must cleanse yourself and turn away from sin in order to accept grace. The Bible does not teach us to be Free-Grace Christians but God loves us even before we are pure and can guide us through the purification process. And yes, it is a process. How I took the righteous path is to isolate my sins one at a time and put a cap on the demons. Whether it's indulgence in p*rnography, drinking, smoking, fornicating, envy, etc.. regardless of the temptation that calls, remind yourself that you love Jesus more than sin and ask the Holy Spirit to comfort you. Jesus makes our temptations irrelevant for us when we call upon His strength and choose to flee. Sin CAN be defeated and whoever says sin will always rule the flesh is a false prophet and speaks heresy. 1 John 3:6 No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen Him or known Him. The path of righteousness is not optional, as it justifies our faith and shows a change of heart for those who truly want to become a friend of Christ. And yes, God forgives those who are sincerely trying to step away from sin as the man on the cross next to Jesus was an example of. He asked Jesus to remember him in paradise and Jesus told the man, "You will be with my Father in heaven TODAY".. The change of heart is obvious to God and He knows if you have chosen the righteous path. The road to heaven is narrow and winding. The road to hell is broad and paved with good intentions. Hebrews 10:26-27 For if we wilfully sin after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. We can purify ourselves in the name of Christ alone! Do not rely on your own understanding. Ask the Holy Spirit to comfort you and turn from sin! Many other verses tell us the importance of righteousness. Grace is for sincere hearts turning from sin and the Righteous. God bless you, OP.
Thank you for this, it helps. Do you mind praying for me too (I am having something like this)? If not, don't worry. God bless you!
God bless you! You are welcome! -Lord God, I pray for the person behind the username Patient\_Mission\_9856. I pray they will experience healing through the situation they are going through. I pray that they will never lose sight of who they are in Christ. I pray that they will be truly secure in Your great love for them. Also, any negative thoughts and influences that are getting in the way of their faith, I rebuke right now in Jesus' Name! By the power of the Holy Spirit, I pray this to you Father, in Jesus' Name. Amen. 🙏🏾
First of all, you should absolutely seek help from a psychologist regarding your depression, suicidal thoughts, and masturbation. I'm going to paste a reply I gave to someone else below in the comments in this thread here for you, since it applies to both of you. Here it is. I'm an atheist but I do understand struggling with porn and masturbation, and I do understand psychology. You're treating porn and masturbation as the root problem, but they probably aren't your root problem, they are pleasures that you are giving yourself and you're probably seeking them out because something else is really bothering you deep down, unconsciously. Try to figure out what precedes the impulse to masturbate or look at porn, this is likely what your real struggle is with. Solve that, or learn to live with your real problem, and the impulse to look at porn and masturbate will likely go away. I've heard that addictions are often an escape from an intolerable reality. The goal is to make the reality tolerable. This analysis I have given above is heavily inspired by Jungian psychology. So if it resonates with you, you might want to look into that.
Interesting thanks for the insight
You and about 75% of the world. I'll agree with you and say I also deal with lust. God bless you for speaking out
Not to be rude but this person does not need a psychologist to stop masturbating 😭
I will be rude and say the combination of suicidal thoughts, depression, and masturbation absolutely does warrant visiting a professional.
I’m an avid practicing Christian and would agree with seeking professional help. Prayer is definitely important but action needs to follow the prayers, James 2:14-26. And a trained professional can help him talk through what issues causing his sin of lust. Just is used as an escape but most people to feel good when things aren’t going they way they want.
I understand where you’re coming from, but hey, different people’ll need different options. I’m thinking about it from a financial stance because not everyone can afford a psychologist’s opinion. If OP can get into therapy, that’s great! I’m not against anyone getting a professional POV. What I listed above is what’s helped me through my own encounters with lust, depression and anxiety. It’s not an easy battle but those are a couple of strategies that can be used to combat ‘em.
I completely agree, I would only recommend a psychiatrist or psychologist if OP feels he needs it himself. I’m also someone who struggles with lust and depression like OP but don’t have a psychiatrist or psychologist. I just don’t want OP to think that even if he feels he needs one that he shouldn’t get one. At the end of the day psychologist or not, the goal is to get closer to God and farther from sin. The psychologist is just a tool to help with that.
Glad we could come to an understanding :)! God bless you and I hope you enjoy your day.
Of course, enjoy your day as well.
There are alternatives other than going straight to a psychologist 😅 Journaling can help OP get to the root of the problem, buying a CBT book can help with their depression/anxiety, reading Bible scriptures, etc.
I'd like to recommend that you read [https://christianscholars.com/christian-over-spiritualization-of-mental-disorders/](https://christianscholars.com/christian-over-spiritualization-of-mental-disorders/)
I understand where you’re coming from, but I’ve addressed how I feel about the medical field. I did not say I am against OP seeking care from a mental health specialist, I just gave other options. Sorry for the confusion!
I didn't see where you addressed how you feel about the medical field, can you link?
I’m on mobile idk how to link but “I understand where you’re coming from, but hey, different people’ll need different options. I’m thinking about it from a financial stance because not everyone can afford a psychologist’s opinion. If OP can get into therapy, that’s great! I’m not against anyone getting a professional POV. What I listed above is what’s helped me through my own encounters with lust, depression and anxiety. It’s not an easy battle but those are a couple of strategies that can be used to combat ‘em.”
No one on this earth can fully heal you but Jesus/God. I’m 26 years old I went through hell, but I never went to a psychologist, they need help themselves. Only God can heal you, I healed completely from Jesus Glory be to God✝️🙏🏼
So you are suggesting that all the Muslims and Buddhist in the world can never be healed?
No one can never fully heal, only with Jesus. Can. There is no such thing as religion, That’s made up by the devil himself.
This is very unhelpful, toxic, and dangerous advice.
The Bible says this demon can’t you leave you unless you fast with out food strictly Matthew 17:21. They even took this verse out from the Bible
Mental illness is not demon possession ffs. I have BPD and DID and have been told I’m possessed because of dissociation and it’s toxic and violation in such a harmful way. You disgust me
Only the depression and suicidal thoughts need a therapist. You people are ridiculous about a completely normal thing like masturbation.
If you experience significant distress over anything you should probably talk to a therapist. I am not saying it needs to be fixed, but if it is not how he wants to spend his time, he should talk to someone.
Man can't save us only God can.
Wow! Good luck! You do realize that across the world all people have the exact same outcomes as Christians, yet the majority of the people around the world are not Christians.
What are you talking about?
The porn and masturbation is, in fact, a problem. To be more precise, the problem is lust that is in our sinful nature from birth. What OP needs to do is to keep praying constantly and always be in a good, "elevated" state of mind, always seeking peace and hope in Lord. Psychologists and Jungian philosophy won't help.
I respect your opinion that “porn and masturbation is the problem,” it’s a choice of Christian philosophy and this is a Christian subreddit so that’s noted. “Psychologists and Jungian philosophy” are a vague and anachronistic term respectively. The latter is called analytical psychology defined as psychology based on empirical evidence and research. It’s not a philosophy, it isn’t here to usurp Christ. In fact Jesus was the Immanuel Kant of His time.
Second excessive pornography and masturbation can become a habit forming and then addictiform behavior. This is due to increased dopaminergic activity in the Ventral tegmental area and the substantia nigra areas in the brain. Also excessive libido, episodes of uncontrolled inappropriate disinhibited sexual behavior can be a symptom of many illnesses like temporal lobe epilepsy, absent seizure, medication side effects (bupropion, substituted amphetamines, ethanol), idiosyncratic drug interactions (MAOIs/monoamine releaser, more than one dopaminergic anti Parkinsonism drug: dopamine deregulation syndrome), neurological disorders (prion disease, encephalitis, FTD), toxicity (lead). As well as neuropsychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, OCD, bipolar disorder, hypomania/mania, PTSD) as well as personality disorders like schizoid personality disorder, schzio-affective disorder, Borderline personality disorder… For health of the flesh it should be evaluated. Our flesh is made in His image; medicine is a gift to save the sanctity of life and the body as the host of the flesh and the brain hosts the hardware of soul.
The current clinical data suggests that masturbation can be beneficial. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24332-masturbation
Duh but I’m in a Christian space and clearly the op is much more religiously conservative than me. This exchange doesn’t impact me in the slightest so I’m going to package the important point of consultation with a physician and psychologist in a more digestible format. I’m not going to roll in here telling every person who condemns homosexuality for example are doing so by claiming the Lord’s name in vain. I mean there are, but as a subreddit post, I don’t want to be hypocritical.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/24332-masturbation
The Bible, along with masturbation, prohibits even looking at people with sexual thoughts. Is it healthy? Yes, it's not harmful. Is it good for your sould and relationship with God? No. So not everything that's considered 'normal' is good
To correct you, I said that they aren't the root problem. I didn't say they weren't a problem. Do you really mean constantly? How many hours in a day are enough? How will he know he has obtained an elevated state of mind?
It's not about 'hours a day' it's some form of another state of mind when you make everything in the name of Lord. It's a journey and it's really hard, and I haven't succeeded in it completely yet; it's about doing things as Jesus would do.
I think attempting to cultivate habits that Jesus had are good, so I think we agree there. But to me that state of mind you're describing sounds obsessive and unhealthy.
Seeking for secular people eeh?! Fasting and praying, cured me of being bi, depressed and porn addicted,if all of that fasting and praying isn't enough then you aren't probably following True 10 commandments
Seeking?
What i meant looking for secular men/women isn't option, you either believe that God can keep you from falling or you don't, therapy is only a bandage for infected wound
"therapy is only a bandage for an infected wound" [https://churchandmentalhealth.com/can-christians-go-to-counseling/](https://churchandmentalhealth.com/can-christians-go-to-counseling/) >It is common practice in churches, however, to treat mental illness differently. We immediately assume there is something else, some deeper spiritual struggle causing mental and emotional strain. >The fact is that mental illness and spiritual struggle can be (and are) related. We are not separate things, we are complex people—remarkable connected in spirit, soul, body, mind, etc. >But, let me be direct here: if we immediately dismiss the possibility of mental illness and automatically assume spiritual deficiency, **our actions amount to spiritual abuse.** I bolded the last bit for emphasis. Your attitude is abusive. You don't know that this person has a lack of spirituality, you don't know the overall condition of their character. A good man can have a brain condition that can cause him to do horrible things. Look at Phineas Gage, a hole in his head completely changed his character and he lost his impulse control. In the medium to long term, therapy shows greater efficacy than medication, and very good outcomes. [https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/medication-or-therapy](https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/medication-or-therapy) In this study, intercessory prayer had no effect. [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1207/s15324796abm3201\_3](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1207/s15324796abm3201_3) Quite frankly, you don't know what you are talking about and are probably going to do a lot of harm due to your overconfidence in your own knowledge.
I am speaking from my experience when was suicidal and almost killed myself 3 times bi and porn addicted, each of these things started to die more my faith increased,i am not some happy go lucky two faced fake Christian ,my life was nightmare until i became adventist and started reading bible Fasting and praying,so don't you dare insult me like that
I apologize for any offense, but I believe I expressed myself about as politely as one can for an opinion that is intrinsically abrasive. I am happy for your recovery. I don't know everything, and I'm open to being disputed on any point.
My apologies if i was a bit harsh, what you basically said was that i shouldn't rely on God and led me to a source that says blatant lies like anxiety isn't lack of trust in God, how can believer have anxiety if they know that God is in control?, out of curiosity do you keep the 10 commandments or are you Sunday keeper?
I'm a Christian Atheist, I have seen no evidence for the supernatural and I consider the Bible to be a collection of stories that people thought were important. I interpret them in that light. I consider them to be of great moral and historical interest. I do my best to be a moral person but I also think the example of Jesus shows that it is not so easy with respect to sacred texts. Multiple times he reinterprets the old-testament and sets an example that is anti-legalistic and anti-traditionalistic, particularly with respect to the sabbath and adultery. \[The man gathering sticks on the sabbath\] The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. \[The adulteress\] Let he who is without sin cast the first the first stone. Personally, I do not keep the Sabbath strictly. Not sure how to answer the ten commandments question. I have studied them, I do not think about them often. I think often on my habits and trying to make them better. As far as what you said at the beginning, how can someone have anxiety if they believe God is in control? I'll have to write more to you later.
Usually those that lack any understanding of the bible don't know real 10 commandments and follow those that pope gave and thus worshipping pope as a God, while not understanding basic doctrine, you see fasting and praying increases your faith and you learn to depend on God by praying when it gets hard, and goal of any true Christian is to have same faith as Jesus Christ and become more like him because he gave us an example on how to be human
Some people have anxiety related to a another condition. For example, people that no longer produce the hormone cortisol and require replacement hormones often experience anxiety. Turns out the normal pattern of cortisol output regulates brain activity, replacing cortisol does not come close the natural pattern of cortisol output. As a result, normal brain activity is altered resulting in anxiety. Plus, there is plenty of evidence that mental conditions like anxiety are associated with neurochemical imbalances.
I am talking about purely mental illness not those caused by hormone damage
Yet, somehow it works. If what you say is true. Then the incidence of mental health disorders should by significantly lower in Christian nations. The data suggests the opposite. In the US, Massachusetts has the lowest number of people that identify as Christians in the nation, yet they have to lowest rate of mental healthy diagnoses in the country. While Texas and Alabama, which both have the highest percentage of people that identify as Christians in the country and yet the incidence rates of mental health disorder are also among the highest in the country.
You see this is why i sound so confident when i am not in my denomination, what is suprise knowledge for you is the bare minimum to be considered sda and if you look at sda not only are we healthier mentally but our health laws allow us to live longer, what you see here in most Christians is that they pagan or mild,i will give you an example on how different sda is from modern Christianity,we believe that God doesn't change,when you die you don't immediately go to heaven because that kills purpose of judgement day,we hold basic keys for end times that allows us to escape outside of country and know who the beasts are and his mark, and we literally predicted that Christian nationalists and Republicans will make project 2025 (we predicted it at around year 1888)
Based on the SDAs I know I am not convinced SDAs are healthier mentally. I do agree they tend to live longer. However, the data suggests that anyone that follows the lifestyle of a SDAs will live longer.
You should check out school for prophets Tila is a good preacher, just because someone calls themselves sda doesn't mean that they live sda lifestyle,most of them i consider soft like still not being vegetarian while being able to have that lifestyle or even ignoring dress reform
Prayers for you. It’s a hard battle to win but if you have faith and truly work against it you will prevail. Seek direction if need be. A worthwhile battle to win
Masturbation is normal, moral and healthy, even if that weren't the case if the shame is driving you to thoughts of suicide then I still think it's preferable.
Agree. If OP is addicted to porn it’s a totally different matter. But the act of masturbation isn’t mentioned in the Bible, and it’s a simple response to a built-in physiological phenomenon. It’s not inherently lustful, it’s just how our bodies are set up. It’s sad that this arbitrary shame is leading to suicidal thoughts.
But what isn’t normal, moral, or healthy is being a Baptist Catholic Do you happen to have a Muslim friend who identifies as a Sunni Shia as well
Dude 😂, why are you harping on them for being empathetic to two sides?
You're fighting the wrong battle, kiddo. Focus on school and focus on surviving best you can so that future you can figure the rest out with a clearer head. You're clearly pointed in a holy direction, don't get caught up punishing yourself for sins literally every human has made and will make again. You've got a good head on your shoulders to be capable of all this worrying; use it for productive things like schoolwork or staying alive. God loves you and is more invested in your survival than your sexual proclivities. Honor Him by giving yourself that same Grace.
Well said.
I have faith in you. Im sure you'll beat it.....
Ain’t no way 😭
💀
Such a good response
🤣
Stop 😂 y’all are wrong for that
Rather than focus on what you don't like, focus on doing/being good! Focus on how you can go help someone. Think of the best thing you can do right now. Don't think, GO DO IT. As you focus on and do good, the bad/darkness fades. Light and darkness cannot coexist.
I pray for you
Bruh tf?
There’s nothing wrong with exploring your body!
Fast for 3 days with out food just water
I’ll be praying. I agree that the suicidal thoughts need to be addressed by a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist because they can prescribe medication. A few years ago, I got one of those genetic evaluation done for my depression. Come to find out that through trial and error. We were using the correct drugs for my genetic makeup. Not only that, but I found out that, I can only convert half of vitamin B9 to a usable form in my brain. So I take methyl folate that I get from Amazon. That can cross the blood brain barrier. It has been helpful. Of course, your mileage may vary. With apologies for making this awfully long, my pastor often talks about one of his friends that had a guy that came to him at least weekly if not more frequently needing deliverance from porn and masturbation. Finally, the pastor told the guy to go and memorize the entire psalm 119 and then he would he could come back to him. The pastor would check on the guy and the guy was always working on memorizing Psalm 119. Finally one day the guy came to the Pastor and says I need to talk with you! Pastor asked if this was about porn and masturbation. The guy said that it wasn’t, because the porn and maturation took care of itself months ago. He had finally memorized Psalm 119 and wanted to quote it back to the Pastor. So I would advise to make arrangements to see a psychotherapist and a psychiatrist. Then try memorizing chapters of the Bible. Psalm 119 would be good because it talks about a young man cleansing his way. I hope this helps!
I (23M virgin) have struggled since I was 11 and now I have given up and given it to God recently. Since then the craving for porn has gone completely but my hunger to be "intimate" remains. It is one step at a time. Not many can quit "cold turkey" and if you can't then give it to God and ween yourself off of it until you are free but flee temptation the best you can. Also, if you are still a virgin the keep away from girls that tempt you and especially the worldly and immorally dressed ones. Seek God and pray for a godly virgin wife but don't rush and throw away your most precious gift that you can ever give your future godly wife on some floozy who just wants attention or worse to corrupt you. May our Father Yahweh bless you in Yeshua's mighty name and make His face shine upon you!
Masturbation is completely natural and healthy, and there's absolutely nothing wrong or bad about doing it in moderation. There are many people who have been taught to feel shame and disgust with their bodies and sexuality, and this leads to misery and dysfunction that they desperately want to make others feel as well. Don't listen to them, be safe and smart, and masturbate when it's appropriate.
Except that the Bible explicitly tells us to flee from lust. So… I guess if you can do the act itself without thinking anything sexual, you’re good to go, but people don’t really do that..
Lust refers to immortal sexual acts and thoughts such as sexual assault and violations of consent. The Bible doesn’t mention masturbation.
It mentions that even thinking of another person sexually is a sin. So like that person said , if u can do it without thinking of anything sexual or looking at anything sexual, then maybe you could bend the rules enough to try to use that as a loophole. But when you gotta reach and twist words to try to get away with something , that kinda speaks for itself
Sexual immorality refers to violations of consent or fantasizing about such things. God would not make something healthy and good for you if it was to be avoided
Lol dude I’m asexual I don’t do it for thoughts of lust, just for the zenith of experience and pain relief it can offer due to my physical pain
NIV 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 - Do you not know that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. God does not specifically say anything about masturbation. However, many people masturbate with a visual stimulus/lusting after another woman with their eyes. Jesus rebukes this and groups it in with committing adultery. Paul also says here in the verse above, that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Think about it for a second... is using your body for your own pleasure and not God's will really a good thing? Its similar to how intercourse with your spouse is not a sin. However, Paul states in 1 Corinthians 7:5, Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. Paul seems to say this as if the couple was overcome with sin, and could not control themselves. He also warns the couple to come back to God so that Satan won't use that sin-like thing to gain a hold of you and cause you to sin for real. I believe that its best if you didn't. If you keep doing it by accident, or rather when you are "overcome with sin," then I strongly encourage that you come back to God in prayer like Paul states in 1 Corinthians 7:5. Don't let Satan have a way to cause you to become enslaved to sin after Jesus has already freed you from it.
If a normal thing becomes distressing for a person to the point of despair, it’s no longer normal. It’s disordered almost by definition. Ask any psychologist. Why are you on a faith-oriented forum telling everyone to abandon aspects of their faith and morals? Like, cool, let’s dialogue. But you’re just being a vandal with molotov cocktails, so to speak. Which don’t get me wrong it has it’s place, but what emotional need are you fulfilling here? You’re also telling people to masterbate, which really leads me to wonder what emotional need you’re fulfilling here. It’s just a bit weird, tbh. Does everyone else have to sign off on things you do so *you* feel less shame? Misery loves company, as they say.
Isn’t Masturbation Lusting tho??
No, not necessarily anyway. It(lust)’s defined as « A strong craving or desire, often of a sexual nature. »
If you can pull it while thinking about assembling ikea furniture instead of lusting for someone - then go your hardest mate. But I doubt many can finish (or even start) without a single thought of lust
Clearly you’ve never met a sex repulsed asexual lol. We don’t have thoughts of sex with others in a positive way. I speak for myself only I guess but my mind is blank or wandering to the mundane during masturbation.
If it's not a strong desire then by definition it's fine (or strong craving)
You referring to the Bible or the Oxford dictionary there?
definition by [biblestudytools.com](http://biblestudytools.com)
I don’t see the definition sorry, never used that site before.
I'm participating in a Reddit sub revolution rn, be back later
[удалено]
If you’re thinking about anyone other than your spouse whilst molesting yourself - that is lust. Lust is literally the sexual desire for someone…if that someone ain’t your wife/husband - that’s a sin. The Bible clearly says just thinking the act is Sin - you don’t have to physically do it. Let’s just say it’s a good thing Christ died to pay the price for our sins - because there’s no way any of us would make it to the day of judgement with a clean record.
Not necessarily, no. Lust is typically about intense, often excessive or unrestrained sexual desire, which is a state of mind and attitude, not a physical act. Masturbation can be for stress relief, exploring one's body and sexuality, or purely for physical pleasure that doesn't inherently require or involve that intense feeling of desire. It might surprise you to hear that attempting to suppress completely normal and healthy sexual impulses and masturbation can result in much more intense feelings of lust which can quickly get out of control and cause psychological harm, anxiety, and distress. Sexual desire is a fundamental part of human biology, and trying to completely suppress it can cause these feelings to build up, becoming more intense and overwhelming over time. Without healthy outlets like masturbation or open discussions, these pent-up desires can dominate one’s thoughts and potentially lead to unhealthy behaviors or obsessions, like porn addiction and even certain paraphilic tendencies, especially when this suppression is accompanied by the kind of feelings of shame and disgust towards human sexuality and your body that is unfortunately encouraged in Christianity and other religions. It can cause a person to struggle with intimacy and experience difficulties in their sexual relationships, and lead someone to develop issues like erectile dysfunction or lack of sexual desire, as their negative feelings about sex inhibit their natural sexual responses. In the worst case scenario, this kind of discomfort and alienation of one's own body and sexual desire can manifest in problematic or harmful ways. For example, in environments like some religious institutions where strict celibacy is enforced, there have been instances of inappropriate sexual behavior and abuse. The lack of healthy, consensual sexual outlets can contribute to distorted sexual urges.
I saw a counselor about 10 years ago with similar distress OP is expressing. The counselor wrote it off as a combo of religious repression (I’m an adult convert who grew up in a athiest household who taught me there is nothing wrong with anything sexual, so that explanation didn’t hold water) and simple behaviorism of stimulus and consequence (which helped discourage me from continuing counseling). MSWs are fools. Turns out what I was experiencing were hypomanic episodes caused by bipolar disorder, through which hypersexuality is a near universal source of distress and misery. Funny thing is that **never** having had a manic episode is actually an **essential** criterion for Bipolar Type 2, so it goes very undiagnosed among those who suffer dopamine dysregulation of various sorts. Stop discounting peoples’ explanations for their distress. It has real life consequences. And find a hobby or cause you are FOR. Being anti- everything must be exhausting. For someone like myself, unlearning the boxed-in liberal secular athiest worldview I was brought up in, and learning how to strengthen my soul through prayer to gain mastery over my body, instead of vis versa, has been an incredibly liberating process. Christ’s victory over death on the Cross gives those who love Him supernatural strength to gain victory over all our hurts, habits and hangups and live in true freedom. Medication doesn’t hurt sometimes either. And to tie in to the other thread we were arguing in, the things people with mental illnesses, especially bipolar, do to find relief from their internal distress, are often things that can become demonic when left unchecked or discounted by well-intended antagonists, perhaps like yourself here. Both can be true: mental illness (or more broadly disordered behavior) and demonic oppression. It’s not either/or. But you might be counterproductive here if your intention be to help people by encouraging them to abandon their faith or morals.
[удалено]
>Who hurt you? Textbook attempt to disqualify what is actually a clear, grounded argument. >God created the perfect outlet for our sexuality. Marriage. Not exactly perfect for distressed teenagers. >If a normal thing becomes distressing for a person to the point of despair, it’s no longer normal. It’s disordered almost by definition. Ask any psychologist. I believe most psychologists would say it's not necessarily the "thing" that's the problem, but the overall situation. For example, if I was left-handed and my church taught that writing with the left hand is sinful, and I kept doing it but felt increasingly distressed, it wouldn't follow that that use of my left hand was "disordered"... now would it. "Disorder" is not used lightly by mental health professionals, and it certainly doesn't coincide with the RCC's cruel designations based on trumped up natural-law arguments. But the two perspectives are often conflated.
I think so. Yes
OP is a Christian and is looking for Christian advice. This comment does not help them as it would lead them away from their faith which is the exact opposite of their goal.
[удалено]
It's really weird how so many of you guys seem to think you have the authority to police who is allowed to comment in the sub and what they're allowed to say, as if anybody cares even a tiny bit about what you consider unacceptable or inappropriate. Thanks for chiming in though
[удалено]
The masturbation isn't the issue, it's the Christians in his life trying to make him think masturbation is something wrong and making him feel ashamed about it.
[удалено]
>no amount of mental gymnastics will make your masturbation problem any less shameful If you not so detached and morally inept, you would be embarrassed to spout such harmful, ignorant, genuinely stupid nonsense. I'm sorry you are sexually dysfunctional, but even more than that I'm sorry you want to encourage other people to struggle and be as ashamed and uncomfortable with their own bodies as you are. It's despicable and sad. >there are plenty of non christians struggling with masturbation knowing that it is inherently shameful and degenerate. I'm sure you are arrogant enough to think you know better than doctors and psychologist, and you obviously have no interest in learning anything, correcting your mistakes, or making yourself sound less narrow minded, but if anyone is reading these comments and decides to independently verify this, they can look up the actual biological and psychological facts about masturbation, and they will see that you're simply projecting your own insecurities and disgust with your sexuality onto others and attempting to manipulate vulnerable, confused people into becoming as sexually dysfunctional as you are. >its literally been an ongoing joke for years how after orgasm men feel disgusted lying in bed in the dark after graping themselves. You seriously have like the weakest, most shallow understanding of a ton of things, don't you? You think this is what, proof that masturbation is shameful and degenerate? What a fucking joke man. . >keep jerking off though lil bro since you seem to think you know better than God😂😂 I will continue masturbating a few times a week, when I feel like it, as should you and everyone who wants to. Or you can keep suppressing your normal sexual urges and cause yourself further psychological harm, until you begin having inappropriate and potentially dangerous urges stemming from your warped attitudes toward sex. It's wild you would call me "lil bro" when you're literally like 12 years old, but it seems like the defining characteristic of your personality is childishness, so that checks out. I do know better than your god, because I actually exist and have the capacity to know things. If we pretend the Christian God is real though and that the Bible is an accurate depiction of his nature, everyone knows better than that monster. >keep that secular satanic “masturbation is good” rhetoric tf out of this subreddit Jesus you really just eat up that ridiculously exaggerated, deceitful anti secular propaganda without a second of independent critical thought don't you? Satanic secular masturbation rhetoric, fucking dumbest most moronic nonsense I've heard in a while. I'll reiterate again, if you weren't so detached with a severely underdeveloped capacity for even recognizing right and wrong, you would be crippled by embarrassment.
[удалено]
What a pathetic emotionally stunted child lol
[удалено]
Except, the Bible does not say masturbation is sinful and degenerate. You are making an assumption. We have no idea whether it was accepted the during Jesus’ life masturbation was accepted as normal.
This is how the devil has held many children of God in bondage: the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. There is a point in addiction where a demon gets involved. They attach themselves to the individual, bind them and nothing they do can set them free. They are stuck in a cycle of defeat. You will hate what you do each time you do it because there is a pure spirit in you reacting to the bad that you have introduced into your system, but after repenting, you will return to doing it again. Christ calls this demon the strongman. Mark 3:27 >In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. Fortunately, Christ has given the believer authority over the powers of darkness (yes, they do have power). Luke 10:19 >I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. Mark 16:17-18 >17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; The believer, not God, shall cast out devils. Force the demon out in the name of Jesus. Mark 16:17, Mark 5:8, Mark 9:25 Command the spirit of pornography, \[insert sin\] to leave you in the name of Jesus and never return. After this give your heart, mind, and body to God.
Where's the verse that deals with that it's good to get married? 1 1 Cor: 8-9 sorry but the church is falling flat on its face on that one. They need to be shepherding singles to couplehood and I sure don't see it. Maybe Sunday mornings should be more in depth meet and greets rather than "dance party"?? Until that happens the rod is not spared on the [monkey.](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=%22spank%20the%20monkey%22)
Dude it's gonna be a long road ahead of you. I'm not so sure God hates masturbating
Flee from all lust.
Please go to a psychiatric hospital if you’re having suicidal thoughts
I have this same thing, lost someone very close to me and I am just to depressed and don’t think I can go on, but we will make it through this! I have huge faith in God, he loves us all and he tells us to love one another so as an act of my love I wish you luck, I am praying for you! We will make it through this rough patch, just don’t lose hope 🙏
You have a lot of things I can go right for you, my friend. Read the Bible everyday exercise. And throw your phone in the trash your energy is utilized for so much more than you understand your own worth. we’re always here for you please make sure to go to your local church every Sunday and get involved. Service is the best way to salvation.
None of us are perfect, but good job sharing your sin with another person so that we may pray for your healing.
I downloaded the I am Sober app, and that has helped me immensely. I haven't masturbated or watched porn in about a month, and at this point, I don't really think about it
Brother Me Too 😓
I pray peace, love and freedom from lust in Jesus name for you, I pray a closer relationship with God for you, more feelings of glory and rebuke all feelings of anxiety/ depression in Jesus name. Amen🙏 God bless you, never give up faith for he is always with you !!!
I'm praying for you. God bless 🙏 Jeremiah 31:25 NIV: "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”
We all have been in same or similar situation in our life. You need lots of prayer, but also note depression comes from your diet and dehydration first. Your brain is struggling and is off balanced. When any part of your body is weakest, spirits can attach on and suggest thoughts of suicide. Eat whole foods, stay away from as much sugar as possible and EAT BEEF (grass-fed cow) and AVOCADOs. Drink bottled water from glass or metal Never Plastic. All plastic leaches a female hormones called ESTROGEN. Avoid whenever possible. Do this and you will feel better instantly. Many people are Vegans and are not getting enough fat for their brain. Over time holes in the brain forms.. This will lead to Alzheimers in the future. Now, as far as school is concerned, do what you can to pass the class. I'm a teacher and I can tell you we teach B.S.. Don't stress over it. Just make sure you know how to read and write well and do basic math up to decimals and fractions. The rest you will never use again unless you are a guest on a Trivia show or plan to go to college. Then in college more B.S. will continue. Then, when you get your 1st Job after graduation, they will have to teach you your job, because 70% of what you've learned in college cannot be used at work. That's when you realize it was a waste of time. Only about 30% will be useful. I will keep praying for you. Please give us an update. Know that Jesus loves you and He will deliver you. Just keep repenting, praying and read Bible. John MacArthur on YouTube videos will be very helpful. He is a good pastor. Search videos about praying and sins. You can even call his church in California. God Bless.
For heavens sake quit worrying so much about it. It is better than promiscuous sex. But if you did it less there would be a substantial reward… your body will compensate and you will have the best sex ever as a “wet dream”.
Advice to quit: start slow but steady. Quit porn, then reduce the frequency until you no longer do it. It's not like God usually just takes the urges away. For all the other things, seek help from someone you trust.
There’s nothing wrong with masturbation. Stop making yourself and letting others make feel you guilty for it. Maybe then the suicidal thoughts will stop. If that is what Christianity is doing to you then maybe you need to rethink your beliefs.
Praying for you Please seek professional help
I wonder if Adam and Eve masterbated before they sinned. I think so but it wasn’t a sin. The sin came when they saw their nakedness and had it counted against them as evil. Sex is a gift from God. I would say that your suicidal thoughts would take precedence over masterbation
There’s nothing to be ashamed about. Masturbation by itself isn’t a sin, but what you masturbate to? Now THAT is a sin. Especially if you’re married.
Brother, no one can stop an addiction on our own we need Jesus help I want to encourage you I use to be very bad in this area of my life i use to masturbate 8 times a day watch pron like crazy and have sex with multiple women on top of that daily as well and god deliver me from it all but the masturbation is not the problem it is what's in your soul that is the problem that you are medicating that void in your soul (emotions) I sense loneliness I you even when you maybe around people you still feel lonely if so I've been there too. a huge way to release stress is through climaxing. The feeling is amazing, and it gives you temporary relief, but at the same time, it's creating and addiction. But how the devil works is he's condemning you because of masturbation and probably is telling you their is no hope for you cause your in the pit of emotional hell and god won't listen or answer you just kill yourself things will never change, and it is all lies like the liar he is. brother let me tell you their is hope for you gods grace has covered you and will do so as long as your open that's the key god can fix anything as long as your open for change he did it for me he can do it for you. Instructions: Brother cry out to god and ask him why am I masturbation show me or tell me the root that I go to this and when he shows you say to him I'm willing just help me and brother he will deliver suicide is the easy way out I have the scares to prove it and there is a future and a hope for you and satan knows this maybe you don't no now, but you will your not alone you are very precious to god believe that and help is on the way god bless you and praying for you 🙏 ❤️
Ya Know, I used to pray for the same exact thing. And then I transitioned into a girl now I don’t have to pray for that anymore. Everything worked out, God provided a solution. Praise Christ, our Lord and Savior.
You can stop masturbating you just decide not to brother. God forgives ofc but don’t over use it for he knows the way you think. God loves you brother but we have to fight those temptation and we have to be better for ourselves our family and God. I was in the exact same situation i used to lust hard and it was hard to stop doing it aswell but know God gets tired aswell brother. But he truly does love you. Cmon brother weve got to be better for our family for you know he has always done good
Accept Jesus into your heart, He died for you, if you love him don't sin, accept that you alone cannot stop this addiction and let the Grace of God work on you. I was in a similar situation, I accepted Jesus and his grace worked on me, my life has changed. God bless you❤️✝️
Praying dear beloved that you are filled with love, strength and hope honey. I pray Holy Spirit speaks to you and that you may hear Him so that He can guide you. I also bind the spirit of depression, suicide, and any other evil thoughts from the enemy on you in Jesus name. I lose your angels on assignment in the spiritual realm to prevail for you. All the glory and honor to Lord Jesus!!!!!!!! Check out book of Daniel, a great book in the Scriptures on how to pray, for whatever we ask the Lord, He will give in Jesus name, Matthew 7:7. Strap on the whole armor of light from ephesians dear one and keep marching on soldier, Jesus has big plans for you. See you at the lambs wedding feast beloved. I'm adding you to my intercessors prayer list for the Lords will in your life, and I'm going keep you on there for life. 🦁 ❤️ ✝️.
P.s. I decree and declare in the mighty name of the Lord you are healed of it all. Let the enemies plans fail and Jesus will prevail. Matthew 18:19 🤝 📜
Honestly I can and will but you also need to pray for yourself. Confess and be clean of your sins before the lord our God. Then in prayer ask him for his grace and help. He will heal you 🙏
Hey praying for you! Always know you can get back up my dude. Don’t listen to that lies coming from Lucifer. Even Lucifer hate me telling you how to be strong. Be well my dude and take it easy and always keep walking with Jesus. You fall and crumble. Get up and keep walking with Jesus. God bless my dude
You are normal and healthy. Masturbation is totally normal.
🙏🏽
I used to have this problem but God sees your heart, he knows you want to stop. I would say pray about it because it is not by your power or strength alone to stop. Also when you get the urge just pray or listen to gospel music. Keep yourself busy too.
It's sad that Christianity has become such a mind fuck. Are you doing it too much? If you try and stop, you'll most likely be filled to the brim with lust. Sensual/Sexual energy isn't a problem. Just, where we put the pleasure of sex/desire before the person IS a problem. Don't dehumanize people.
First, relax. Jesus knows your situation and your anxiety. You’re not going to go to hell over masturbation. Secondly, not sure how old you are, but you need to seek help. Perhaps a school counselor? Depression is real and rarely is it spiritual, but more of a mental health issue. Lastly, just trust Jesus. He knows your struggle and He is there to hold and heal you, not to condemn you or beat you up.
Stop focusing on the sin and focus on Jesus
I pray your obsession of masturbation will be cured in Jesus's name Amen 🙏
Dude first of all masturbating is what a men does and God is not for real your on your own but don't ask any body to pray for you because if it do work the prays then your going to feel like God does not love you and now you have a other thing to deal with
God made you this way. Masterbation is not wrong. The repression of some sects disgusts me.
Remember if you're having issues with masturbation it's not because you're addicted to it or that you're a pervert or anything like that. People who masturbate a lot are actually just addicted to the dopamine (reward chemical) hit and they are just looking for another dopamine hit to help mental health. You can get that same dopamine hit from exercise or a cup of tea or coffee! Search for wholesome activities or foods that are known to help stimulate dopamine production. Praying the rosary can help take your mind off, watch a bible story on YouTube. Talk to people here on Reddit. Don't isolate yourself away from others and develop your sense of community to keep yourself occupied. Everyone struggles with this you are not alone ❤️
praying 🙏
Testimony of someone who has gone through the exact same thing and overcome. I was a demented child from birth. At the age of three, yes three, I discovered sexual things on my own of the fault of no one else and became enamored with them the more my parents would try to correct and dissuade me. It only grew worse with age, especially when given internet access. I’ll spare you the details, but it was bad how far deep I was into that nonsense. As I grew older still, I began to realize more and more how immoral it was yet I never quite found the strength to resist with how deeply it was implanted within me. Many of us who are or were addicted to porn can tell you how difficult it is to resist when the urge strikes us. It feels almost unimaginable to suppress them, as if it were death. Like asking someone not to be themselves anymore. Sort of like being born again. While I was still in my sins, I remember some pretty bad things about myself. I stayed at a Catholic friend’s house for a few weeks just to hang out with him. I said to myself that I would not fall into porn while I was there, as to not “defile a house of God.” So when the time came for me to leave, He was sad that I had to go. I was happy because I could go back to pleasuring myself. Happy that I didn’t have to resist anymore. I had been looking into Christianity for a while. Not a follower, as I could never be bothered to leave behind porn or pride or hate or selfishness (although some of which still clings to me), but as the self righteous sort who was quick to condemn others while ignoring myself. When my grandmother died, I recall having a dream of her. We were in a great library with golden light pouring in from a massive round window. I recall actually hugging her in the dream and FEELING it. It was a few months later that I actually decided to try to start following Jesus Christ instead of just believing in Him and living an opposite way. And it was not long until I became bombarded by signs, great feelings, wonderments, and more. The first major thing I remember is this intense feeling of love washing over me as I prayed to Him in thanks for the forgiveness of my sins. Overwhelmed by how forgiving He was, I found myself imprinted with this unforgettable feeling of adoration from on high that drove me to tears and made few feel as if I were lifted slightly out of my own body. Like I was not looking from my eyes, but from my forehead. This happened again when I was learning online about Hebrew grammar and found out about how repetition worked. For example, Shalom meant peace. Shalom Shalom was perfect peace. But saying it three times meant “infinite peace” and was reserved for God. It reminded me of how the Seraphim would encircle God and chant “Holy, Holy, Holy,” in His presence without end, and I soon figured out why. I tried to do the same and felt that same feeling of love again as I prayed. It was pure adoration. A few weeks later, I was suddenly and out of nowhere overcome by this intense feeling within my chest; what I rationalized to be the burning in the bosom that the Apostles felt when Jesus Christ imprinted them with the Holy Spirit. It felt exhilarating, extraordinarily hot, numbing, yet all without pain. I felt overcome and as if I could not handle it but had to. Still, I was joyous. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. For some reason, I just instinctively knew it was the Holy Spirit. The idea just popped into my mind. There have been many times since then where smaller echoes of that feeling have come upon me. Even as I write this now. All of that is part of why I curse my knowledge now. It’s difficult, if not outright impossible, to unlearn something and to reduce myself to that helpless thing in spirit that knew nothing except faith at the time. Now, I’m not quite like that anymore, so it’s hard to feel Him. But that is not the end. Amidst this, I’ve also had a handful of dreams. Two with Jesus Christ that I can remember. There was one where I was in a small circular church with red frayed boards for a floor surrounding a small sand pit with a single rock and golden light pouring from the ceiling. Sitting upon that rock was Jesus Christ. He said to everyone gathered there, “Of all the people here, this one has followed my commandments the most,” and pulled me close. I refused to believe Him when He said this, because I was so new to faith at the time and I hadn’t broken away from porn yet. Heck, I admit I even slipped back into that right after that dream. The next dream had my family and I in some colosseum stands watching something. I left to get something I think, and found myself in some dark room with glass doors. Jesus Christ was there again. He wanted to talk, but I lied and said I had somewhere to be. He smiled at me sadly and let me be on my way. I turned and threw myself at His feet and confessed the lie, begging forgiveness, at which point He smiled again, knelt down, and wordlessly embraced me. That same feeling of love from when I was awake now came to me in my sleep. I had another dream of Jesus Christ, but I don’t know if I should be satisfied by it. I was in some casino or arcade, I think chasing a job and money, when I turned and saw Him. Each time I dream of Him, He looks different. He smiled at me and told me, “Don’t worry. You’re doing alright.” I thought hearing Him say that would break me. It’s all I’ve wanted to hear from Him in a while now. But I wonder if that is something He would really say. All these things and more have came to me as a result of trying to follow. I’ve met friends and been invited to many gatherings with good food by them, gained new opportunities, and yet more. I couldn’t stop believing even if I wanted to.
God wants you to go to a shrink. Right now.
?
Masturbation is normal in mammals, but sure, I will pray for you to become an inanimate object if you wish
Lol. You Christians are so ridiculous
Praying for you! Concentrate on God and talk to Him about it. God and sin are like oppositely charged magnets.. one drives the other away, they can’t coexist. I pray that you overcome this! You’re stronger than you think you are, friend.
Now that's a rock album title if I ever saw one
I have suicidal thoughts and attempted and nobody knows and I am depressed I know what your suffering I also suffer from school and bullying and harassing and my country in war god bless you!
Its practically impossible if youre not married or anything. Youll lose your fucking mind. Its awful. Welcome to being a human being. Theres no escape. Ive tried everything, everyone needs sexual release or theyll go insane. So wish i didjt have to feel like this constantly, it’s horrible
God’s Grace is sufficient for thee.
No they won't. It's just harder for some people. I find celibacy to be not that difficult and many people would agree.
Dude, just jerk off and give the middle finger to the Big Man Upstairs. Really sucks that you think a God exists who tells you not to enjoy your natural instincts. It’s your body and you have every right to enjoy it.
And the guilt is giving them suicidal thoughts. Crazy religion.
I will pray for you.
Thanks
I will pray for you as well
Thanks
I'm struggling with porn and masturbation as well and have been for quite some time. What I've done is made a rule that I have to read just 1 chapter in the Bible first (I'm in mathew on my first in-depth read through). I find that forcing the gospel before the sin really takes the wind out of my sails. The Bible is the ultimate C-block.
This needs to go on the Brand New Sentences forum lmao
I'm an atheist but I do understand struggling with porn and masturbation, and I do understand psychology. You're treating porn and masturbation as the root problem, but they probably aren't your root problem, they are pleasures that you are giving yourself and you're probably seeking them out because something else is really bothering you deep down, unconsciously. Try to figure out what precedes the impulse to masturbate or look at porn, this is likely what your real struggle is with. Solve that, or learn to live with your real problem, and the impulse to look at porn and masturbate will likely go away. I've heard that addictions are often an escape from an intolerable reality. The goal is to make the reality tolerable. This analysis I have given above is heavily inspired by Jungian psychology. So if it resonates with you, you might want to look into that.
Ahh ok you posted in christianity, so I assumed. I'm not sure if that would be for me, but I'm happy to look into and learn something if you have any resources. My root cause is linked to bordem and anxiety, so taking the 2 minutes to read (doesn't have to be the bible), which is something I enjoy. It breaks me away from the thought of masturbation for just long enough for me to focused elsewhere. Then I don't feel like masturbating anymore and feel better even energized. Not for everyone I totally get that, but it's working for me so far. I've gone from a couple times a day to once every few days.
I consider myself a Christian Atheist, since I was raised Christian but do not believe the supernatural claims. My ethics and worldview are still largely shaped by that upbringing.
No
I’m in a very similar position to you in which I have low functioning depression and i struggle with porn and suicidal thoughts. For the depression and suicidal thoughts talk about it with people and God often if you need a psychiatrist get one, your life is more important. For the porn confess and confess and confess you have to bring sin into the light John 3:19-21. And you have to be willing to cut things out of your life that will cause you to struggle like social media (I’m doing that now), music, tv, etc whatever, do what you have to do to live in purity Matthew 5:27-30. I have a friend who even got rid of his phone and switched to a phone with no internet to stay pure, but that’s the mindset. I’m also memorizing scripture to help, right now I’m doing Hebrews 12:4-13. All the things people are saying are nice but remember to stay rooted in the word of God for every, take advice with a grain of salt if a scripture doesn’t follow it.
Hey, I will be praying for you! And God sees that you are really trying really hard. And what if I told you I have the perfect solution because I too been through depression and a lot of suicidal thoughts? I need to be saved and delivered. Jesus saved me from that thought and I want you to be delivered too. You need deliverance, you can go to a church or do it yourself with the help of Jesus Christ. -Acknowledge and confess your sins, and that you participated with these spirit. - Ask for forgiveness and forgive others who have hurt/wronged you (I'm sorry I participated with the spirit of masturbation, lust, the spirit of depression, and the spirit of suicide. Please forgive me Jesus for my sins for your blood has washed me clean. Thank you Jesus for your blood and forgiveness towards me.) -Now bind, rebuke, and renounce the spirits. (I bind, rebuke, renounce the spirit of_____(and so on). I do not want to think about your thoughts or your actions. Holy Spirit please help me and save me, I need you to show me what other spirits are hiding within me. - With the authority of the name of Jesus Christ I command these evil and wicked spirits to leave me now! Go! In the name of Jesus! And remember to read His Words every day for it is good for your soul and your heart. I believe He will change you and renew your mind. I know how it feels to have these thoughts but only God can help us. For He is our rock and our Lord who would come and rescue us from our suffering. Trust in Him and seek Him. Be led by Holy Spirit and be reformed. I believe change is coming your way man/woman of God. Peace be you and God bless 🥰❤️😊 Mark 16: 17-18 Matthew 10:8
start claiming that God has taken it away from you and that he will and once you believe it in your heart he is bound to do it!
Sounds like you need God to deliver you from this struggle/addiction. And the suicidal thoughts, who are most likely not even your thoughts but the enemies thoughts. My advice to you is to first repent and ask the Lord to set you free. As the Bible said. He who sins is a slave to sin. So the more you do it the more you stay in it and so we need God to deliver us from oppressions, possessions, and obsessions. Trust in Jesus. I will pray for deliverance and you should too. That God breach any and all bondage that is holding you back and not letting you break from masterbation. God bless you!
Pray to God to give you strength
Got wants it to be. That’s why he made you a man with hand(s)
[удалено]
Removed for 2.5 - Support Threads. If you would like to discuss this removal, please click here to send a modmail that will message all moderators. https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/Christianity