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How to Turn Your "Sexual Needs" into a Prayer | Three Choices with Eros | THEOLOGY OF THE BODY
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- čas přidán 23. 02. 2021
- What do we do with those crazy, overwhelming “sexual needs” we all experience? Most people think you’ve got two options: repress your sexual needs or indulge them. One appears to be holy while fostering deep dysfunction and perversion, the other leads to a life addiction and despair. But there is a third way: turning your sexual needs into a prayer and allowing God to love you in the depths of your desire.
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As a porn addict of nearly a decade, I just want a hug. Love is what I have never known but have spent my life trying to substitute. Christ help me, I am lost.
😟🫂 I definitely relate to that.
I used porn regularly for over a decade and quit last year after finding Jesus. You’re not alone, and can quit porn & find love.
@@youngKOkid1 And so I will. Thank you.
@@exerciserelax8719 It is okay. God came not to condemn us, but to cherish and love us. Our idea of Him will always be different from who He actually is. He reprimands us, but through love. He does not scold. He gives us a path to follow, and is there always. Our rest and comfort.
I discovered porn around 2004 when I was just 10 years old. After 18 years of being addicted to it, I was at my all time low mentally, physically and emotionally. My addiction was so bad to the point where I would watch porn before I even ate breakfast. I called on Jesus for help last year after just being sick of everything and one year later my PTSD, depression, suicidal thoughts and emptiness is gone thanks to Lord Jesus and God the Father. The Holy Spirit led to the Bible verse Romans 10:13 and it perfectly described my experience with Christ. The amount of bliss and happiness after being filled with the Spirit of Truth for the first time was utterly amazing.
I didn't even fast or pray. I just called on the Lord for help back in July 2022 and weeks later, Jesus casted out the demon that was inside of me and then baptized with the Holy Ghost.
PRAY, FAST AND BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ. Porn is Satan's greatest tool to make you donate your seed to kingdom of darkness.
I just did m*sturbating literally like 2 minutes ago. I prayed for our loving God to help me. Then I saw this video. Thank you! You become an instrument to help me
Even after resisting it for a few hundred days, I know it is hard. Try to see the blessing of semen retention as a means to gain strength.
Well done for being open to changing
Pray the rosary or call upon the intercession of Mother trust me she is powerful for chastity and on Jesus they help talk to God about your desires Chanel irlt through some art form or dance a Nd keep yourself busy physically with manual work if you can
@@carolinpurayidom4570 Gosh sorry to potentially offend but it is not biblical to pray to Mary. God is who we should be praying to, not a human.
@@sherbetstraw my uncle died a week ago and my young cousin started praying with rosary, I can see that it gives him strength to move forward. I know it is not biblical but should I tell him right away or wait until he gets better after his dad's passing?
Please pray for me!
Said a Hail Mary for you. Your turn for me and for Mr West now :)
May the holy spirit guide your way may your life be safe and cover by the blood of Jesus may all your life be in Gods hands in Jesus name amen
Same
@@wanaspola216 That's blasphemy. Mary is a women. Jesus is God.
@@BrendanBrady-zw7lp It is not blasphemy to ask Mary to pray for us.
Addiction happens when we aim our desire for infinite joy at finite pleasure. I like that definition.
I wrote a letter to my wife last night, letting her know that I will never again treat her as an object , God Bless You
What if she wants to be treated as an object sometimes?
🎉🥲
Bad idea. Don’t expose those internal struggles to a woman. Despite what you think, she WONT respect you for it
@@yeboscrebo4451 I respect my husband when he opens up to me ! Takes a strong man to be vulnerable ‘
@@joshuajarod1909It was never the intention of God for a human being to be treated with disrespect or inferiority. Did I mention we are to be temples for the Holy Spirit? Jesus has very strong feelings on how to treat a temple of God.
Prayer
Thank you for my attraction to this beauty of this person , Lord I recognize something twisted up in me , what Iam feeling is not the desire to love this person in the image and in the lightness of God , which is the purpose of God for our sexual desires . Rather Iam experiencing something twisted up , there is a desire in me to treat her as a thing for my own pleasure . Lord I give you this twisted lustful desire , I ask you please ; by the power of your death and resurrection to untwist in me what sin has twisted , so that I might come to experience sexual desire as you created it to be as the desire to love in your image and likeness.
needs to be in a different language or translated into a mystery
Thanks
Thank you. I feel I lost a wonderful godly women because I was thinking about her with lust... I pray God heals my mind
Amen
You are not a twisted person. Love is what you need, to see her as a person herself, to want her happiness before your own. Are you the right partner for her? If not, be happy for her when she finds Mr Right. Your turn will come. I didn't find my Miss Right until I was about 26; we have now been married for over 50 years.
I have never been so impressed with the teaching from the Catholic church branch of Christianity in my life. I have grown up in the (Protestant) evangelical Christian circle, and yet this teaching absolutely was not addressed for me. When I was sadly introduced to porn at a young age, I didn't know how to deal with it even though it offered the satiation that had not been there before. I have always felt there was a third option, even though throughout my life the answer was simply *abstain* from all sexual desire. I had always known this was something good had put inside of us. The trouble for those of us who have had these 'inverted rockets' running for a decade or more is the become accustomed to seeing them run correctly so that it can propel us into the stars, into the cosmos with God and relationship with Him and His plans and dreams for us. Thank you so much for this YT video. Probably the most helpful video I have viewed on CZcams in 20 years?😂 God bless this ministry immeasurably and may it reach all those that are completely lost with only two options of response to this EROS placed deep inside of us!
Thank you for such a hopeful comment! Keep fighting the good fight and keep going deeper. We'd recommend Christopher's "Good News About Sex & Marriage." You can find it here: shop.corproject.com/products/good-news-about-sex-and-marriage but we also have a free playlist where he walks you through it czcams.com/play/PLAbqXQaOvkM4Q01szl54g7Sj9mJ8bfKf0.html&si=zZG7qYfniz9J_KKB
I come from a homosexual life background with great addiction to pornography, but thanks God I learned to do this in a natural way. I also learned to redirect my sexual and affective desires towards the Eucharist. Knowing that Our Lord is in the Eucharist with His Full Humanity and Divinity, I ended up yearning for Him in adoration and communion. He completes my humanity, and no man will ever satisfy me as He does.
How’s that going for you ? I’ve prayed and fasted for my homo tendencies to leave but they are still here ..
@@Brooklynbaby47 Ask yourself why you are looking for love from men in that way. Did you fail to get fatherly love as a child? Did it start with 'forbidden' sexual fantasies as a teen? Was it a substitute? Was there abuse? What was the reason you are attracted to other men in this way?
I think most people have sexual lusts that are twisted. Wether straight or gay, we all have darkness inside of us, weird, wrong, disgusting and even evil things that turn us on.
We should try to convert our sexual lust into the desire to love our partner with all our soul. Not indulge in sexual fantasies but rather focus on the connection to the other person.
Thank God for his love despite our sin, despite our filthiness. He loves us no matter what. He hates our sins, and so should we. We should repent and know He wants to save us from ourselves, he wants to save us and even gave his life for us. He would have given his life to save just one sinner.
@roaniwhent4005 well I have hetero tendencies that just will not go away. Are they meant to go away, or are we meant to master them? It's a constant battle against ones own flesh. It's hard. And it seems hopeless alot of the time.
Pray for me. Been stuck in a porn addiction for a long time. Been trying to escape for the past 5 years. I've broken every decent streak I've ever had. Pray for me that I may be set free
Create a clean heart in me oh Lord, create a clean heart in me. Amen.
Amen!
God is good and his mercy endures forever
Amen
I am a 34-year-old totally blind guy who’s never had a partner, and have not been sure how to control urges, and twisted up desire I go for a time saying that I’m not going to indulge myself and then pick up the habit again only to keep repeating the cycles but yes, I will take it higher in prayer.
Didn’t meet my husband till he was 41 just in case that makes you feel any better about not having a partner yet (or maybe you don’t feel bad - you shouldn’t). It was the perfect time for us to get married as he’d done lots with his life that he wanted to do which I don’t think I would have joined him doing if we’d met earlier (such as travelling, long distance cycling trips and races).
With you
And I'm only 20, and this type of comments scares me.
Been saying the Lord's prayer on repeat to get to sleep but then I fail the next day. Please pray for me.
Maybe dont repeat it but rather talk to him directly using words that comes directly from your heart and not just something memorized, either way I pray for you! God loves you even if you stumble, the important thing is you get back up
Spend time reading and meditating the word God and worshipping. Trust that God will free you, don't give up. God bless you in Jesus Name. Amen
@@yohanokasaki2548 Thank you for your prayers.
@@SM-pb8zz Thank you.
The Lord's prayer is not meant to be recited, but a prayer pattern.
Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you how to pray.
Prayer is easier when the Holy Spirit is involved.
The good Lord is your strength 🙏.
God bless you 😊🙏
I’ve been an addict since I was 12 years olds I saw my mom looking @porn on VOD on the TV she screamed and told me to get out and go to bed, she’s a Christian too
I’m 22 now and I’m still fighting this feeling and urges to complete college
I’m grateful that I found this channel and the good people pray for me
Keep fighting the good fight! Praying for you.
thank you for that prayer. it's exactly how we all feel, but we forget the power of the resurrection when we're trained to feel guilty and ashamed for having God-given, God-glorifying desires.
St. Augustine's quote helps me ever day: “The church is not a museum for saints, it is a hospital for sinners.” It's the inexhaustible forgiveness and love of God for us that keeps me going every day. I've dealt with a massive porn addiction that spanned almost 30 years and I'm in the recovery process. It hasn't been easy and I've had my share of relapses, but with God's grace and forgiveness, I can beat this battle once and for all.
Father, please don't give up on me. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, please have mercy on me, for I am a sinner.
brave thanks
your saying of ‘infinite joy on finite pleasure’ really resonated with me and even helped me overcome last night thank you
We're glad it blessed you!
It's important to take the sensation of desire in the genitals --- actual biological horniness - into observation and to not let it dictate our actions. In addition, sexual fantasies in the imagination and memory must be taken into observation. Knowing that it's all quite illusory, that acting on those impulses only leads to more confusion (sin), is fundamental. The spiritual path is indeed - as mentioned here - a path that leads to a transcendence of our animal , bodily, impulses. To develop the ability to SUBLIMATE sexual desire is the ultimate blessing, but it takes effort and ongoing will power. Staying physically active in life and avoiding people, places, and things that may stimulate sexual desire helps tremendously.
Willlpower will not work u must read daily and pray daily and actually loook at ur problem in prayer fully u gotta face
@@rockyp32 I concur. Thank you.
Watching this video was liberating, because for so long, I felt my only choices were to suppress or indulge those desires. I knew there had to be some other, more healthy way to channel those desires, but I was so unsure what the specifics were. This video helps me clearly sense what my other, more healthy option is. Thank you, Christopher. And thanks be to God.
Same for me too
This is so important!! All young men and women have to hear this in this perverted world.
We must protect this man at all costs.
Thank Jesus for my wife 😇
It's important to note that we are in the last days. We simply don't know what it's like to have the natural organic levels of human impulses because we are being waterboarded with perversion. The older I get, the more I see it being dumped on young people and it literally fills me with rage. And getting angry feels a lot less helpless than feeling tempted.
I love this video. Funny, but it was today morning that while thinking about sexual desires I remembered the words of an old priest during a confession some years ago. He advised me, instead of fighting and accusing myself, to thank God for the person I love, even though it is to be unfulfilled. To pray that God might be glorified in our hearts. May the whole story be directed with God's love. I remember how relieving and transforming this conversation was. I came across this video by chance, and you are saying practically... the same. And you mention my beloved JP2. I am so happy to have heard you today. Thank you.
Amen! I think this is an area a lot of people struggle with, christain or not, seek God, his kingdom and his righteousness. Learn to pray and make space for God to move and use you. Thank you for this video, I remember the words of the song "I'm coming back to the heart of worship, where its all about you, all about you Jesus"
13 years honestly still struggle with porn with a mix of unworthy of life depression pray this helps me truly be free Believe these keep popping up is the holy Spirit trying to help me, have never truly had a real connection with anyone except when I try seeking God/ Jesus sometimes even feel distant with my family
The glory that awaits us is worth the struggle! Thank you for being vulnerable.
Mary is sometimes referred to as “the untwister of knots” it’s usually for when you have problems at work, school, life etc, but I think if we view our lust as a knot we can ask mary, untwister of knots to help us
I love this, thank you 🙏
Mary is dead.
this is idolatry
@@bradyhartsfield7891 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Path of purification and healing of our desires...to realise that the dynamism of desires always open to redemption...Not to indulge nor to repress our sexual desires, but God wants us to do differently....to redirect up way up .. launch us to the stars..Christ came into the the world not to condemn our inverted rocket engines but to redirect us to the infinity.. thankyou for teaching us the truth that set us free ...from India 🇮🇳
So good teaching to listen to. This should be a core teaching in all junior and senior seminaries of would-be priests. And in turn, the priests can help Christians better. CHRIST HAVE MERCY ON US 🙏
A Course in Miracles:
"Repression brings depression.
Indulgence brings guilt.
Correction brings release."
And Jesus brings freedom
I'll remember this when I have strong urges. Thank you good sir!😊❤
Thank you for teaching us about this, it really opened my mind personally about the concept of sins being crucified, which leads but not only to the death of the sins, but also the resurrection. God bless you like you've blesses us with His wisdom 🔥
We’re glad you’ve been blessed! Pray for us, please!
The painting is amazing!
We have prints of it if you'd like to check them out! shop.corproject.com/collections/art/products/beth-west-collection-art-prints
I been suffering from this condition and problem all my life. Glad I am here.
Welcome aboard @Jabx82 ! If you'd like to go deeper check out www.tobforfree.com/
Thank you so much for this explanation. Some time ago I heard an explanation from a good priest who said that "sexual needs" have to be channeled like a river however he explained it using a metaphor that didn't let me understand the whole image of repression vs addiction and simply said focus it towards the service of God... and I was like: "how am I supposed to transform these bodily feelings into good deeds or spiritual prayer" to me sounds again like channeling lust so it doesn't get out of control. And finally I'm beginning to understand what it means. Thank you so much for this!!
Yaymy friend was the stoic and 3rd part of pure freedom. I was the second man. I used to be addicted. Thank you all for praying for me for my connection to and with my friend.
Please pray for me, I have been engaging in sin on purpose on this sin! I need help, urgent help!
Thank you so much brother this is the first time in my life I truly felt this freedom I always tried to just repress it and I never realized that if I did that it would just blow right back up May God bless you for the delivery of his message
Great Teaching!
A couple of weeks ago, the Holy Spirit taught me to know that beauty is beautiful, appreciate beauty, but never lust after it in my heart, because lust will make one act sinfully. 🙏
Thanks for sharing!
A friend of mine once brilliantly said: "i know deep down that the attraction I have for other men is really a twisted, warped longing I was born with to have for God Himself."
Brilliant. And its the central thesis of Dante's Inferno. All those sinners loved something instead of the most beautiful, most worthy TriUne God.
Praise the Lord🙏❤️
That is an awesome picture that your daughter made! I want to buy a copy and hang it in my room! So powerful
Use all feelings for God, whether good or bad! He wants to have a relationship with you!
This lesson is very important to me. It might change my twisted life.
Amen 🙏🏻 ❤ they should teach this In Catholic schools
I had to repeat this .. I was like "did I just hear what I did 😮" this is sooo amazing !!! 😍👏 Thank you so much I pray God abundantly blesses your ministry we NEED it !
We need those extra prayers! Thank you. Praying for you, too.
Amen 🙏 that is what I did 🙌 Pray about everything if we don't the devil is going to take control of our lives, thank u Lord for answering my Pray 🙏Amen 🙏 hallelujah 🙌.
I've said it all, prayed it all and read it all. I've tried everything that I know or have heard of and nothing helps. I'm not cut out to be single my whole life but God has made it pretty clear that He's not going to provide a wife for me. I'm not looking for casual sex. That's not what I want at all. I want to be married to someone who loves God more than they coup ever love me and is willing to go and do whatever it is that He has for us to do but even among Christian circles that's nearly impossible to find.
Isn't it obvious that your deity isn't looking out for you.
Casual sex is FAR better than no sex.
Do you serve at your church? Are you a part of a community group? Do you have hobbies that you are committed to? Do you have an accountability partner? Do you have covenant eyes on your phone?
These things truly helped me. I was willing to do anything and everything. God expects this of us. I'm 34, been single all my life, never had sex. Yet God has not only delivered me from porn/masturbation but he has helped me enjoy life more now than ever. Meet God in the middle. Pray without ceasing. Be committed to the faith and everything it requires of us. God is faithful.
@@michaelbedsole970 no that is not o vious at all. Just the opposite. If you knew anything about human sexuality and related spirituality you wouldn't have asked such an ignorant question but all you know is insert tab A into slot B and repeat as necessary for desired results.
@@nathanhale7444 Doesn't sound like the opposite to me.
I do indeed understand about human sexuality... and that there is no "spiritual" component to it (nor to anything else for that matter). Religion does great harm to people in the area of human sexuality. And yes, putting tab A in slot B is MUCH more satisfying than going through life frustrated and stressed about it due to your very biology letting you know it's normal but religious brainwashing telling you it's "evil", "dirty", or "sinful".
Turn to Jesus folks. He will give us a new heart and new desires 🙏
You know what, when i finish my BA i want to enroll in the MA in TOB so i can share this with others in my country. Greetings from Belize.
I would love to do that too but they shut down the TOB institute in Oz
@@camillekunde4287 wheres that?
@@robertocastillo5583 Australia:)
@@camillekunde4287 oh ok. Yes, it most unfortunate.
Never thought about it like this
When I didn't get married and all my friends did and I realized I would probably be alone forever (disabled) I crushed my heart and deliberately quit loving people. I believe that was a mistake.
I'm a Protestant. We don't know what to do with those who experience extended singleness. It seems to embarrass people.
Christ came just to be with you in this pain. Don't give up hope @RachelNichols-writer we're praying for you.
@@TheologyoftheBodyInstitute Thank you. At 50 I no longer am tempted by lust so much as bitterness.
Please pray for me my brothers and sisters. I am currently aged 16, been into masturbation since 3rd grade, have tried to solve this problem with many philosophical studies and physical temperance but I continue to fall short of resisting from this sin. Please pray for me, our Lord Jesus Christ is my only last hope now, and I will surrender all to him, I pray you all will as well and get to recieve his Holy Spirit in you all and be purified. Thank you all, God bless
I mostly have this thoughts when I'm on the gym.
Thank you, I’ve been struggling but this video was clearly sent by God to help
I somewhat left the Catholic Church some time ago but I have re-found Christ through a non-denominational church. This church has spoken about the pleasure and the danger of sexual desire, I have had a problem with porn without realizing it until fairly recently and this video gives me a whole new perspective on how to control my urges. Rather than keeping it to myself, then it to the Lord for he is the only one that can fix it. Thank you
Come back home, brother. There is no substitute for the Sacraments.
This one's goes to 11! gotta appreciate your sense of humour in this tricky yet so frustrating subject. I feel your correct, you gotta take this 'problem' all the way up to the Big Chief upstairs. It's the only way. Turning the volume down you'll end up (sooner or later) only burning your tubes. We weren't most obviously designed for that. God bless.
This makes me grateful for CZcams because I ain't asking my 72 yo pastor about this.
This video was powerful, thank you brother!
Now this video was super helpful! Especially in these summer months when physical beauty is more in evidence. I wonder, how we can get the word out more widely?
Summer is full of temptations 🫣🙈 🌞🏖️
Turn the yearning into a prayer!
Word indeed!!!🥳🥳🥳
Thank you , I am widow . My husband and I took this class many years as our children did in high school. This opened my eyes to a way to resist my desires. I am going to dig out my books . Relearn
Thank you
Praise be Lord
I am absolutely astounded
There's another way to repres it as a stoic, inverter it in order to release it, save the fire power then release. You can use the energy the inverted rocker energies then you release, so hold then release.
Thank you for sharing your daughter's work and meditation on human sexuality. It's such a gift for visual learners like me
Glad it was helpful!
I love from St. Philip Niri, "As soon as a man feels that he is tempted, he should fly to God, and devoutly utter that prayer which the fathers of the desert so much esteemed: "O God come to my assistance, Lord make haste to help me" or that verse, "create a clean heart in me, O God".
And, "In temptations of the flesh, a Christian ought to have immediate recourse to God, make the sign of the cross over his heart three times, and say, "Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me."
I struggle greatly. But I keep trying. I am thankful for our Lord's mercy.
thank you so much my brother you have been working with god in my life to truly change my heart and desires you have been a mentor to me and the example that i have been lacking thank you and thank god for his work in your life i love you and am so thankful god bless you brother.
God bless you @isaactalks4769 ! Keep fighting the good fight and keep going deeper into the Theology of the Body.
This is amazing , you’re a great teacher, your daughters an awesome artist! God bless!
This one goes up to 11 😉
Beautiful! To be applied to ALL addictions! Thank you!
If by the Spirit we put to death the deeds of the flesh we will truly live 💙
Great teaching something I can use. Hoping that predator Catholic priests and Protestant leaders learn from this and apply it to save our children from sexual abuse. The Catholic church should require to take 8:34 this course for all clergy.
your daughter’s drawing is awesome
Thank you! You can find a print here if you're interested: shop.corproject.com/products/three-choices-by-beth-west-art-print
you r a great example of a balanced family man who is channelin your phillia love into an Godly, agape luv, thank you n goodonya, you make a difference for sure
This whole message is full of metafores without practical application with a partner
I think this is meant for before you have a partner. Once you have a partner you can indulge your sexual desire once in a while
What you are saying has scientific and spirtual truth. Sexual Self control creates energy to accomplish many things. When you dont fornicate and give the glory to God thru prayer...mircles happen🎉
It’s also Biblical. And the Bible is Truth. There isn’t a word in His Word that isn’t true.
This was everything I needed to hear! Thanks you so much for the work that you do. God Bless.
Please pray for me if you can. I can't even call it a battle against masturbation since it's hard for me to turn away and not do it. In fact, I just did it but, by God's grace, was this video recommend to me.
Since you are struggling with this habit, I was wondering if I might share my own advice/observations on the matter, just in case it might help you develop a better approach. I will elaborate below…
For starters, I want to say that characterizing the physical urge as some kind of pent-up energy in need of a proper “outlet” did not help me at all. But eventually, I tried to see what new perspectives I could gain, if I instead likened the marital appetite to our appetite for food/drink and how the latter could go awry. Once I tried looking at the marital appetite as another one of our body’s desires to receive something (like how our hunger/thirst is a desire to receive something), rather than our body’s desire to vent/release something (akin to exercising or the irritated nose’s urge to sneeze), I found a new way of looking at those virtues/sins that worked better for me.
To talk about how our hunger for food works, I remembered this story I heard about years ago, regarding the difficulties some people have with zero-calorie artificial sweeteners. Apparently, the part of our brain which influences our appetite for food is wired to detect the amount of calories we gain from a something, in proportion to how sweet it tasted. In the short term, people using those zero-calorie sweeteners could seemingly relieve their hunger for sweets, because the sweetener tricked their body into thinking it has received what it wants, a steady supply of calories. But in the long term, that part of their brain unconsciously caught on to how the artificially sweetened food has disproportionately fewer calories, then reacted by treating the sweetened flavor as something it needs much more of, in order to get the desired calories. In turn, some people only became much hungrier and started feeling the urge to eat more gluttonously, even when they were finally snacking on real sweets. And then in turn, those people people started to ironically gain weight more easily.
The reason bring this up is to convey a point that there is a difference between giving our body what it truly yearns for, versus giving our body something that merely tastes like what it yearns. We all intuitively know that our hunger/thirst is ultimately our body’s desire to nourish itself with water/calories/nutrients. It is not merely a desire to chew on tasty stuff. I would argue that it is erroneous to characterize our marital urges as merely an appetite for s*x or s***al stimulation, just like how nobody would say that our hunger is an appetite, which simply ends at the chewing of tasty food. If the act of s** itself is merely a tasty step of a longer sequence, which does not end there, then what would the metaphorical nutrients be? Just as how hunger’s greater goal is to nourish one’s flesh with water/calories/nutrients and maintain that health, I would say that eros’ greater goal is to become one-flesh with a lifelong mate and maintain that connection. Besides the potential for children, participating in the act can also trigger hormones like oxytocin, which can promote bonding.
Once I started to look at the greater purpose of the physical drive that way, solitary ma*******ion started to seem like the equivalent of eating an entire meal made of artificial zero-calorie sweeteners/flavoring. It may outwardly “taste” like what the body is desiring, but it gives nothing that the body actually wants (no chance for children nor even a real mate to form a bond with). And once I looked at it that way, that easily habit-forming act suddenly seemed so boring, empty, and unworthy of one’s passion. Rather than a relief from frustration, m*********ion now ironically seemed like a potential cause of frustration. With that in mind, it also appeared that the body all along was desiring the same thing as one’s will, rather than desiring something in conflict with the will.
It was only after looking at the marital appetite this way, that it suddenly became so much easier to not be drawn into such habits, while also avoiding the pitfalls of repression, etc. To be frank, analogies like comparing the appetite to “rocket fuel”, “junk food”, etc. did not help me at all, since it made those habits seem like something which could somewhat satisfy the body. If merely finding an “outlet” is the appetite’s goal, then why wouldn’t it seem repressive to think that one should not engage in certain habits, and why wouldn’t those habits seem like a valid source of relief? And even junk food still contains something of substance for the body, as long as it is consumed in moderation and is properly balanced with the rest of one’s diet/exercise. So equating those habits with junk food still gives the implication that one is depriving himself of something, if he abstains from them while unmarried, thus furthering temptation. But once I compared those habits with a zero calorie sweetener, I had no reason to view them as something desirable. Likewise, I could compare other habits to each other, like binge-and-purging to the culture of “one-night-stands” (metaphorically consuming a partner, only to immediately expel him/her and move on to enjoying the pleasure of another), or how certain rat poisons can mimic the taste of sweetness to trick the rodents into eagerly eating it versus other pervasive things in our culture.
That all made it easier to react to my appetites by instead focusing my mind on what they are made for. Granted, I am only saying what worked for me (and there may have been other factors that came into play, as I shifted my perspective to that). But I still wanted to elaborate, just in case this somehow can help you too.
Make the desire a prayer... wonderful.
I woke up from a sexual dream,from an attack of the devil himself. This is the nail I need for the coffin to shut it close. Pray for me brothers and sisters. In Jesus name.
Amen, Father God we Pray,Please give Us the Power in The Blood of Our Lord Jesus to Overcome these satanic attacks...Know this Dear Brother in Christ ,you are Not Alone, at age 64 and Single, I also have had these dreams you describe. What works for me is to saturate my living quarters with God's Word. In what ever way possible. Remembering that as in Job 31:1,I also need to make a covenant with my eyes not to look at woman with Lust. God Help Us.
This was a solid concept. Holy Spirit has led me too this similar revelation. Also look at them like Christ’s bride and your sister has helped me. Shalom
I just read the theology of the body. It's an incredible document. Fantastic insights I have sought for many years. Thanks for putting me onto it.
Hallelujah Lord!! This is truly wonderful news! God bless you!
God bless you too!
good idea for a video for the women to watch. Thank you Christopher.
This video is amazing, our Lord is amazing. Thank you, may God bless you for sharing this truth with the world.
GBU abundantly Mr. West...
Thank you and please pray for me to overcome this sin 🙏🙏🙏
So good brother!
We're glad it blessed you!
My man you are a savior. Thanks
The upside is you find some creative ways to keep yourself busy on literally anything else.
Thank you lord for helping me
So awesome. What a great prayer
Theology of the Body and Spinal Tap, yes!!!!
Wow, THANK YOU , I was suffering from lust, but know i know how to handle it 🥺thank you.... especially THANK YOU to My ALMIGHTY FATHER, JESUS CHRIST 💕
Beautiful video my brother 💪 I needed it.
Sir, this is such a beautiful blessing, thank you for sharing this teaching! God bless you!!
We're so glad it blessed you! Please pray for us and subscribe so that it may bless others.
Wow. Powerful stuff. Thank you!
Amen..God bless us all
This is a whole new level of teaching I am blessed to be educated on this topic thank you Sir 👌
Glad to hear that!
Praise God, Help us in Jesus Name...This message was very helpful,Thank You.
We're glad it blessed you!
Please pray for me too dear Pastor... I've been battling it too for years