08.14.07
Importance of Spirituality for the Addicted
If I did not tell you about how spirituality helped me more than anything when overcoming addiction then I would be hiding something very important from you. I initially considered keeping this site religiously neutral. However, I found this difficult to do without leaving out some important parts of the subject. Spirituality is very important as addiction is a battle for your mind and heart, not just control over your body. I can honestly say, that if it wasn’t for my faith I would have had very little success in overcoming my addictions such as porn addiction. I also would have had very little knowledge on HOW to overcome addiction.
Faith in Yourself
Faith in yourself is something that no one can give you. They can encourage you but you still have to make the decision to believe that you can do what you need to do otherwise you will have no progression. That being said, I can say that nothing helped me more to have faith in myself than having faith in God. Developing a realistic faith in God helped me develop a realistic faith in the powers that he has given me. Addiction wanted me to feel powerless while God wanted me to feel empowered. This is how I fought the darkness of addiction and won.
Starting Again
Every day I was able to get wake up and have hope again, after previously having a bad day, because I had faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I believed and still believe that He suffered for all my mistakes. I believed that nothing I was suffering was more than he suffered. I believed that as long as I was sorry and asked for forgiveness then I was forgiven. With this belief and hope I really did feel like every day could be a new and fresh start. Any spiritual debt or weight I was carrying was taken away by Christ. With this belief it was easier to pick myself up and say, “Let’s try again.” I was able to more quickly forgive myself with this belief too. Perseverence was possible because of my faith in God and the Atonement.
Feeling Love
It is so important for someone overcoming an addiction to feel loved. The inherent belief of the addict is “no one would love me if they knew the real me.” Of course that’s not true. Heavenly Father loves me no matter what mistakes I have have made. Of course he wanted me to stop making those mistakes but He still loved me the same and waited patiently for me to return to him. I believed that, though He is a just God, He is also very merciful and loves me so much that He sent His Son to suffer for my mistakes so I could return to be with Him again.
Healing of Pains from the Past
I had stored up pains from my childhood, my own mistakes, and broken relationships. The pains caused me to seek a a temporary escape through sexual acts. I needed to be changed from the inside out. So I turned to Jesus Christ, who I beleived could heal me of all my pains since he had already suffered for them. I simply asked him to heal me and then had faith that this was happening. Over time the pains were taken away and I had less inclination to turn to addiction Therapy helps uncover the past for those who have difficulty pin-pointing the cause of their current problems. Healing is still needed after this.
New Ideas and Knowledge
There were several times during my addiction that I needed a better plan or needed to understand something about my feelings and actions. I really had nowhere to go for these answers because no one had them. So I prayed and pondered my questions a lot. I expected answers and I got them in many different ways. My prayers were always answered and I always thanked God for giving them to me.
We all know knowledge is power when applied. Addiction is partly caused by being blind to the truth of reality. Whenever I was confused about something or didn’t know what to do about my problems I would pray and get answers.
Daily Strength
Another thing that helped me tremendously was waking up every morning and reading the scriptures. This was a source of truth and strength for me. It kept me from believing the lies that come with addiction. For ten to twenty minutes in the morning I was reading and writing down thoughts that came to my mind as I was reading. I learned so much and the light cut through all the darkness in my mind. This was the rope I held onto to slowly pull myself out of the quicksand. I really did feel like the truth was making me free. I still do this as it keeps me focused and happy.
True Identity
By reading the scriptures every day and praying I was able to remember who I really was instead of what the addiction made me feel like. I could remember that I was a son of God with much potential instead of the dark self-image associated with addiction.
I was also able to more easily see women in a better light. Instead of sexual objects I could look at them as daughters of God who also had much potential. I was able to continually look at women with an attitude of love and compassion instead of the dark and carnal vision that comes with filth.
If You Are Not Christian or Religious
There are many options to gain inner or spiritual strength if you are of a different religion or not religious. It still involves seeking out answers and truth, but its more of a matter of what or who you believe is the source of truth. Good books and wise people of the world are certainly not an adequate substitute for God. However, this is not a religious debate so I will just give some pointers that will help you gain inner strength through this battle.
Get a great motivational book like “Chicken Soup for the Soul” or anything written by Anthony Robbins. Stevepavlina.com is also great. Next, spent five, ten minutes or however long every morning, before you do anything, reading this material and gaining motivation and strength for the day.
Take a few minutes after reading to close your eyes and visualize the day. Visualize yourself avoiding tempting situations and being proud of yourself.
Popular Post –>Top Ten Books that have Helped me Overcome Addiction
How to Overcome Internet Pornography Addiction « NewLifeHabits.com said,
08.22.07 at 11:52 am
[…] 10. Renew your inner strength and motivation every day – If you are religious then read the scriptures or religious books of hope. If you are not religious then read motivating books like “Chicken Soup for the Soul”. Whatever you choose make sure it is not giving you some misleading, quick fix, self help advice that will take you off the road of steady progression. You need to renew your inner strength on a daily basis to maintain a positive attitude and motivation to keep going. […]
How Long Does it Take to Overcome Addiction? « Pornography and Masturbation Addiction Help said,
08.29.07 at 6:05 am
[…] can encourage you but they cannot give it to you. On a religious note I will say that developing faith in God helped me to develop faith in myself. I still had to make the decision but my religion certainly made that […]
Brian said,
10.04.07 at 4:39 pm
thank you whoever wrote this i just did somethingiwas addicted to andi knew ikept falling and i went to get my bible but then just got onto the computer againand searched and ifound this site as the first result ithink it is God interveining im savin this to myfavorites andcoming back ever day until imdone withthis horrid addiction.
antonios said,
11.19.07 at 8:50 pm
watching Jesus on the the cross saying the final NO to sin,bringing salvation to the human race by His death and ressurection, sets me infront of a delema, for what, why did it happen. The scriptures say it happened for me and all of mankind, to follow Him and the freedom from all addictions this fleshly world provides. If we truly believe, the prower of His NOcan be available to all of us who are addicted to pronography and masturbation and any other kind of addictions. they are actually all the same, the make us slaves since in the things we obey we are slaves to. It is up to us if we truly want to be liberated from our addiction and The heavenly Father wiil surelly help us. our faith will be victorious because it is possible.Jesus made possible for all of us. May he give us the power to stay steade in our desision to remain free and clean, for He does nott want us slaves but lords. it was a relief for me to now that there is a sight that reffers to such problems and offers the help and guidence needed. Thank God, thank you, o Theos na se evlogei,( God bless you).
james said,
11.27.07 at 8:06 pm
hey thanks for the website, i had no idea that masturbating was bad for me. I didnt even feel bad about it until i read this site, but now i’m so ashamed if i even think about it, i cant even tell my girlfriend that i do it, cause she will think i’m disgusting. in case anyone is interested i found a site that also helps with the same problem. wowomg.com
anyway, thanks again for showing me the path of health and well being. if i didnt read your website i might have gone along forever blissfully unaware of the nerve and pyschological trauma i was putting myself through. It sure must be really bad if the pyschological trauma goes unnoticed! is there any place i can make a donation to?
BrotherinChrist said,
01.06.08 at 6:42 am
First of all, I would like to thank God for giving the author of this page the courage to step out and publish their testimony as a way to help others in need. It is yet further evidence that God can use any distorted situations in our lives and apply it as a blessing to others in need…only God can do this!
I am a graduate of Theological College; a current counselling trainee and a follower of Jesus Christ… I also have an addiction to pornography and mastarbation. I am determined to give this back to God. As so many of us I came from a non-Christian background. Sexual immorality was normal and acceptable consequently, the seeds of inequity were sown into my life at a very early age. When I gave my life to Christ as a teenager, I backslid quite a few times into old habits and routines. In my early twenties I gave myself an ultermatum…death or to do what I now is right, namely to fulfil God’s purpose in my life. I recommitted my life to Christ and God took away my addictions…I can’t explain it, but to say there was Divine intervention.
However, after I was saved, during the weak times in my life I made a sequence of selfish decisions which re awaked the desires of my flesh inevitibly leading me back down the carnal, immoral and doomed path. This is the path to destruction if we follow it and refuse God’s grace before we die. Not because God chooses to destroy us, but because a gracious God has given us grace-restored free will and respects our choice. (Even if that means we refuse to follow the best way an All-knowing and All-power God receommends). If He didn’t respect our choice, we wouldn’t have free will. We always have a choice, and God can help us make the ones that don’t offend Him and lead to the truth which ultimately stes us free from all addiction and selfishness. My story doesn’t end here though…
There have been many times when I have lustfully viewed internet pornography and mastabated since my days at Theological College. I think that lust can be a particular weakness for men. I find the most tempting times for me to be when I am alone, stressed out, depressed or bored! I know that I should ask God for help, but the addiction snuffs out the warnings of the Holy Spirit, and I use my freedom of choice to voluntarily transgress (delibrately choose to do the wrong thing). After each time the feelings of guilt and self hate are overwhelming, to the point of giving-up; which was what I was about to do before I found this site. In a fallen world even those who have faith can be weak, and if we give the ruler of the air an inch, and he will take a mile. I know I have one purpose in this life, and that is to glorify the One who created me in His infinite love and grace.
A note to those brothersandsistersinChrist out there: as this site stated, God’s mercies are renewed each day and His forgiveness extends to the truly repentent. Don’t be quick to judge, but fast to love as brothers and ambassitors of Christ if you know someone with an addiction or you’re too embarassed to talk about it to anyone. You can always talk to God, he will love you the same no matter what you have done! God made us, He doesn’t get surprised, but He does want us all to have a healthy relationship wih Him, which is why Hesent His Son Jesus Christ to take away the sins of the world. God’s grace and forgiveness can be extended to the foulest of wrongdoer if we accept Him genuinely. This site touched me what has it done for you?
Carlos said,
04.30.08 at 1:00 pm
I could not agree more about helping our selves with our inner spirituality. I was a catholic, but now I am a Buddhist. I have practiced this for some years now, and I am amazed about all the tools that this way of thinking has brought to my life. Actually this web site is very Buddhist in my opinion, it is full of common sense. And yes, the buddhist have also problems to deal with masturbation and porn addiction. But there are a lot of recommendations and techniques to help the addicted to get rid of his or her affections. My point is not praising buddhism above any other way of thinking, what I want to communicate here, is that we have hope. We can find steps in all our traditions, or even in therapy. The point is to move forward and not being overcome by the guiltiness. Guiltiness only re enforces our low self esteem. Regret on the other hand, gives us the power of not just standing there feeling sorry for our selves, but to do something to repair the damage inflicted into us and others.