In What Ways Can I Learn to Trust God as I Recover From Lust Addiction?

I saw hardcore pornography for the first fourth dimension around the first or 2d grade. The effects it had on my life were similar to those of abuse.

I was reintroduced to porn at a bookstore as a middle-schooler. Those were hard years for me and porn felt like a relief — something practiced in the midst of something bad. I was hooked.

Acquire real solutions to overcome hurts and struggles, and start to thrive in life.

Learn More

I came to Christ at a young historic period and grew up in church, just at that place was always a dark side to me. I began feeling guilty in high school but learned information technology was ameliorate non to talk about it. I thought I needed to effigy information technology out on my own, just Jesus and me.

Peradventure you've fought a similar battle. Perhaps you're fighting i now or know someone who is. You're non solitary.

When I was 21, I attended Bible school in Austria and later entered total-time Christian ministry. I brought my pornography habit with me. I lived 2 lives, and my shame started to abound. I didn't sympathize why I was powerless over this sexual darkness, and then I hid that life at whatever cost.

I took a year away from ministry to focus on restoration. It was a cracking twelvemonth, but it didn't help with my addiction. I attended counseling, but that didn't help with my addiction.

I believed Jesus wanted to transform me, only I could not understand why He wouldn't heal this area. I decided either I was broken beyond repair or that, maybe, God wasn't existent. I was in despair, completely hopeless. I had tried everything and stopped believing I could be gratis.

A take a chance see with Ted Roberts, founder of Pure Desire Ministries, resulted in my married woman and me beginning his counseling and recovery program. I had finally met a Christian man who could make sense of what was happening in my life. Ted and his wife navigated us through sexual addiction counseling integrated with a biblical worldview.

I learned that at the core of sexual bondage, in that location's ofttimes an intimacy wound. Now when I struggle, I sympathize why and have resource to assist. My intimacy wounds are healing, and I'm learning how to trust my wife and the Lord with all of me.

I can now say I've had three years of solid sobriety with no interim out. I'm taking what I learned from Ted and teaching others considering this topic is something people are drastic to hear.

What Was the Solution for My Porn Addiction?

Everyone seems to desire a book, and there are some good books. But y'all can't read or pray your style out of this. You were likely wounded in a human relationship, and that'south where y'all'll find healing. In the context of safe community groups, you must focus on four areas:

1. Face up Denial

You tin go to a group and talk virtually struggles with work or booze, but when y'all say you struggle with sexual bug, it clears the room. At that place'southward and so much shame around this topic. We experience the need to hide our sexual struggles, so nosotros larn to hibernate from and deceive even ourselves. Commit to honesty at all costs.

2. Understand the Nature of the Battle

There is more noesis most how the brain works now than always before. Sexual addiction is not just a moral problem; information technology is also a encephalon problem.

We are not merely making a poor moral choice when nosotros choose to indulge in sexual sin. A powerful chemical neurotransmitter called dopamine, or the "gotta take it" molecule, is released in our brains when nosotros view porn or act out sexually.

We can develop a brain problem with moral implications that can't exist healed past moral solutions alone. We cannot just read our Bibles more than, pray more or attend more than small groups. We must exist transformed by the renewing of our minds, and we must find healing for our wounds.

So where is healing found?

three. Access the Wound That Makes Yous Return to Unhealthy Addiction

We live in a broken, fallen world. You can grow up in a perfect family unit with tons of support and even so get injure. Some people can process their pain relationally with others, only many of us can't exercise that. We don't know how. We observe means to numb our hurting, and those tin get addictions.

Ultimately, yous must go on the journeying of exploring your ain life and ask, Where have I been wounded and how do those wounds bear on me today?

Have you lot been hurt past abuse? Divorce? High schoolhouse? If we don't identify these wounds, we'll end upwards treating the symptoms rather than the root issues. You must explore your ain story with condom people. Discover where you've been wounded and permit yourself to procedure that pain. So you lot can observe healing.

4. Practice Preventative Accountability

If you don't know how to exercise accountability well, you'll find yourself in relapse over and over once more. Y'all neglect, y'all confess and pray. You fail, yous confess and pray. Somewhen, you finish being so transparent because information technology's simply not helping.

Begin looking at the circumstances effectually you and identify stressors, such as matrimony, work or finances. Look for the triggers, and and so cull to stay in the pain and process it with others rather than trying to numb it with porn or other addictions.

Exist watchful when you are hungry, angry, lone or tired (HALT). Talk with your accountability group about what you desire when y'all are in these states. Procedure ways you tin can answer amend together. Be relational with your pain. The biblical idea of "weeping with those who cry" and "rejoicing with those who rejoice" (Romans 12:15) is a learned skill for many of us, and it takes exercise. Allow others into your hurting, celebrations, joy — live life in colour with close friends rather than just keeping things on the surface.

There is hope. You tin observe lasting freedom. But yous won't detect information technology lonely, with merely y'all and Jesus. Breaking isolation and learning to inquire for assist — that'south where trust is congenital and freedom is found.

This journey is hard, but I'yard now walking with integrity and purity, and you lot can too.

The get-go step in this journey is that we must trust the only One who tin can conquer sin — Christ. Have you fabricated the determination to trust Christ every bit your Lord and Savior? Learn how here.

Adjacent Steps

Do you struggle with temptations like lust or pornography? If and so:

1. Find a local Pure Want or Living in Liberty Everyday support group.
2. Helpful resources include:
   • "Conquer Series"
   • "Pure Desire" by Ted Roberts
   • "Surfing for God" by Michael Cusick
   • Websites including Puredesire.org and Faithfulandtrue.com
     
3. Sign upwardly below for a ix-part email series from the Resolution Movement and Cru. Each week, yous'll receive ii emails that leverage biblical truth and encephalon scientific discipline to offer real solutions for hurts and struggles and help you thrive.

thomashaddespeame.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.cru.org/us/en/how-to-know-god/my-story-a-life-changed/how-i-overcame-my-porn-addiction.html

Share this post