How To Conquer Temptations To Lust

[vee]

look at this as needed



[img]http://www.duchesscambridge.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/1309717834-84.jpg[/img]

[vee]

and this

[img]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/12/18/article-1339518-0012772B1000044C-157_224x400.jpg[/img]

Edited August 21, 2011 by vee8

[Lil'Monster]

vee, that would totally destroy anyone's lust problem

Edited August 21, 2011 by Lil'Monster

[HopefulBride]

What works for me is prayer and guilt.

Usually I say this "Lord, rid me of these impure thoughts" over and over.

But then I will also remind myself that I am willfully hurting my intended with these thoughts and basically cheating. I am sure y'all can imagine how horrible it feels to know you are hurting Jesus... yeah that stops it cold.

[cruciatacara]

Well, everyone has it to one degree or another but for me the best thing is an act of the will. When I first become of aware of the thoughts (thought is father to the deed) then I look at what I am doing at that moment and see if I need to change it so I can think of something else... so the idea of changing activities might help, or reading something else. It's a bit like trying to distract young kids who want something that is bad for them. You can't just take it away, you have to give them something else they like as much or better... so yeah, try some tv or a game or go for a walk or something - anything to change the thoughts. I think how our Lord said that a man who lusts after a woman has already committed adultery with her in his heart so I try to stop the lusting as soon as I realize I am doing it.

Another thing that helps me is to imagine I am talking to Jesus about it, and realizing that when I'm with Him, I don't want to think about these kinds of things... He sort of purifies me.

Anyway, anything that works for you, try. Lust become so degrading to everyone involved. It's just darkness.

[Papist]

Daily confession

[ameliabedelia]

This is powerful stuff: [url="http://www.angelicwarfare.org/"]http://www.angelicwarfare.org[/url]

I was enrolled at a retreat with the NDs. All the NDs are enrolled and most Dominican priests in the US.

Once enrolled you:
-wear the blessed metal or wear the blessed cord around your waist
-say 15 Hail Marys each day
-pray these prayers:

[b]The Prayer to St. Thomas for Purity[/b]
Chosen lily of innocence, pure St. Thomas,
who kept chaste the robe of baptism
and became an angel in the flesh after being girded by two angels,
I implore you to commend me to Jesus, the Spotless Lamb,
and to Mary, the Queen of Virgins.
Gentle protector of my purity, ask them that I,
who wear the holy sign of your victory over the flesh,
may also share your purity,
and after imitating you on earth
may at last come to be crowned with you among the angels. Amen.

[b]The Prayer of St. Thomas for Purity[/b]
Dear Jesus,
I know that every perfect gift,
and especially that of chastity,
depends on the power of Your providence.
Without You a mere creature can do nothing.
Therefore, I beg You to defend by Your grace
the chastity and purity of my body and soul.
And if I have ever sensed or imagined anything
that could stain my chastity and purity,
blot it out, Supreme Lord of my powers,
that I may advance with a pure heart in Your love and service,
offering myself on the most pure altar of Your divinity
all the days of my life. Amen.

[OnlySunshine]

[quote name='tinytherese' timestamp='1313610656' post='2290022']
Try reading Clean of Heart by Rosemarie Scott. It has over fifty meditations on practicing chastity with tips.
[/quote]

I bought this book, too. The meditations are very useful.

[BG45]

To give another serious one...go get another degree. Study hardcore. Become so exhausted you can't be lustful.

[brianthephysicist]

I found that asking both the Blessed Mother and to St. Joseph for help with this helped me tremendously.

I really found it a lot easier to give women the respect they deserve when I started contemplating aspects of Mary's life, things like her Immaculate Conception, the Virgin Birth, the piercing of her heart, etc. I thought a lot about how God didn't just appear, but He was born. There is so much beauty in Mary, being the Ark of the New Covenant. Knowing that [i]all[/i] women share a part in that womanhood really blows my mind some days.

I also spent a lot of time thinking about St. Joseph as a role model for my manhood. I often think of how he lived his life; I've learned so much from him about what I should be striving for if I want to live up to my (or at least what I believe is my) vocation of husband and father. I think the most useful thing I have learned is discipline. I've found that the discipline necessary to achieve purity of heart is not just a subsection of my discipline. Once I realized this and began working towards discipline in all areas of my life, I was able to build up strength and it made withstanding my temptations easier.

Some of the tools that I used to grow stronger in my discipline include waking up much earlier than I need to in order to attend daily Mass, fasting, cleaning (I mean who actually [i]wants[/i] to vacuum, dust, wash windows, etc.), walking somewhere instead of driving, weeding in the garden, etc. I can't remember anywhere near all of them. The major idea was that with all of these things, it would be much simpler and easier to just not take that extra effort. The self-mastery I learned gives me confidence to withstand my temptations to lust.

A bit long winded, but I hope it was helpful.

[sixpence]

I have had Major problems with this in the past.... it has been a long difficult road, but I'm learning to deal. When I feel tempted, I pray to God for help, and I also remind myself of how awful I have felt in the past after giving in to lustful thoughts or actions... this seems to do the trick for me.

I have found that having any alcohol ESPECIALLY alone (ex. having a glass of wine after getting home from work) causes this temptation to arise much more frequently so I have been trying to avoid it.

[Theresita Nerita]

I've had major problems too. Lately I've been better, although far from perfect.

What helps me is to remember that God is not far away but actually in my heart. If instead of limiting my prayer to morning and evening I talk to God constantly (not out loud... ) I then remember that each of my words and actions is being done literally right in front of Jesus's face.

Also, what's actually really helped me is realizing (slowly) that the Christian life is NOT all fun and games, and even though it would be much more fun to give in to temptation, in choosing to do the right thing I'm choosing to suffer. That way when I feel that twinge of boredom (or frustration or what have you!) instead of letting it scare me I realize this is "carrying the cross" in a small way. That thought always helps. In an incomplete way, it's like giving God your chastity as a priest does.

B/c I think one of the reasons we struggle with lust today is that we're taught that pleasure means youre doing things right and pain means you're doing things wrong. But this happiness-worship isn't the Christian point of view - Christ suffered, not because he was doing something wrong but bc he was doing something right.

[sixpence]

[quote name='Theresita Nerita' timestamp='1315430185' post='2301771']
Also, what's actually really helped me is realizing (slowly) that the Christian life is NOT all fun and games.
[/quote]

This too!!! When I first started to put a serious effort into controlling this temptation, I easily became frustrated... I thought it would be super easy if I just set my mind to it... but after failing many times I got very frustrated. Only after this did I start to realize that this was never going to completely go away. That was when I was able to finally progress in the right direction (only with God's help).

That reminds me of another thing I wanted to mention. Self-control is great.....as long as it doesn't lead to pride. For me, the second I felt that I didn't need to rely on God's grace to help me was the same second I failed.

[MissyP89]

Some stuff that's been kicking around in the back of my head...

When I fall, I'm choosing selfishness over selflessness. I'm taking love and basically twisting it so it's all about [i]me -- my [/i]desires and [i]my [/i]whims.

And when you're involved with someone else, there's a certain fidelity involved. If you're going to be chaste, it should mean both in what limits you set as a pair and what you'll avoid on your own. This is something I'm still working on.

[BG45]

[quote name='sixpence' timestamp='1315530148' post='2302356']

That reminds me of another thing I wanted to mention. Self-control is great.....as long as it doesn't lead to pride. For me, the second I felt that I didn't need to rely on God's grace to help me was the same second I failed.
[/quote]

Yes!