10 Day habit builder Challenge, April 17-27

Day 2. Played my guitar. Learned some riffs from one of my favorite games. Did not pmo.

I'm down for reading the Psalms. I can just add it to the other Bible studies I'm doing.

 

Hey guys,

This morning I finished writing Psalm 1, it's also the psalm I know the best because when I used to be a kid this was my favourite one. I once made some kind of card on sunday school where I wrote “Blessed is the man who walks not” without realising that if I wouldn't add the part “in the counsel of the ungodly” the whole meaning would actually change hahaha.

I still think this first psalm is beautifully written and how it shows there is only one way to eternity

 

also today I've reached the 1 week mark! It's the longest streak I've had on nofap and the longest streak in 8 months time. Feeling great and ready for another week

 

Today got a new perspective of Psalm 1. I thought of the porn sites and porn companies who have devil horns or devil tail, or 666 in their logo, or the many porn videos I watched that explicitly mocked God or Jesus or the Gospel. Not only did I walk and stood but sat to "enjoy" or derive pleasure from it. I am a fool. There is no blessing in this. God help @Tao Jones, @Kemar935, @frogs2345, @LonelyStrength, and me to walk with you and keep in step with your Spirit to delight in you above all things. Help us to break the fellowship and desire to walk alongside, stand with, and sit with sinners and mockers, particularly porn. I remember that if something bad or troubling or sexual came on TV or in the movies, I'd cover my children's eyes. God, please cover our eyes, turn our heads from things that are evil and keep our eyes on Jesus, your Son. Amen.

 

I know each of you can easily pick up your Bible to read along and is a good practice and exercise of our will and determination to connect with God (even if we may not "feel" it). I'll still post the link to the psalm of the day. You can always change your version preference: God bless you dear precious brothers:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+1&version=ESV

 

The key to Psalm 1 for me is "meditating on it day and night" in v2. It is an echo to 2 Peter 1:4. We have his promises. We know his ways. We must exchange our ways for his and make his ways our own. This begins in the mind, as an idea, and that is where we must begin, too. Controlling our minds through meditation -- exchanging the lies of our thinking for the Truth of his, then fixing our mental focus on Truth instead of lies.

This is the path to freedom. This is the Way of the disciple.

 

Day 0. Played my guitar, pmo'ed in the afternoon.

Psalm 1 convicts me. I don't meditate on scripture enough and I constantly walk away from God's path for my life.

 

Hey @frogs2345, what happened brother (you reset to 0)?

Is the Holy Spirit convicting you or are you convicting yourself? The former will lead to life (if the Holy Spirit is working in your life and calling you, a godly sorrow will result to bring us to repent/change our mind and direction). The latter (convicting yourself) will drive you deeper to despair, disappointment, shame, self-loathing, and keep you away from the Lord and his love and power. We tend to be more susceptible to turn to porn or other ways for relief. When we convict ourselves, we tend to get stuck in a legalistic mindset - I need to read my Bible more. I need to pray more. I don't do X, Y, and Z enough to be better or accepted. The Bible says you are "helpless" like I am (Romans 5) but Christ died for us while we were doing all the things of Psalm 1. When you sin, it's no surprise to him but he loves you and went to the Cross for you. Don't forget that. You mentioned you constantly walk away from God's path but he promised he would be on that path with you (Psalm 23). When we walk away from the path, we're walking away from him. Is there something (other than porn) blocking your relationship with God and getting closer to him? How are you stuck in your faith and growing love for Jesus? Can we help in any way? Love you brother and don't want to see you struggle. How much more does the Lord!

 

Psalm 2
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+2&version=ESV

 

@Tao Jones, @frogs2345, @LonelyStrength, @Kemar935: prayed for you, prayed for us last night. Glad we are together in this journey. Don't forget to reset your counter on nofap if you stumble. Let's press forward together not to press that reset counter again.

 

I'm probably convicting myself more than the Spirit is. I am normally a quick learner and good at a lot of things, but I struggle with this and it frustrates me. It only compounds with what an industrial grade idiot I am half the time. I'm also lonely because I can't see my friends, and my sister just had a baby which reminds me I'll probably never get married.

Day 1. Played my electric guitar for a little bit. Practiced some faster stuff. Did not pmo but was tempted a little bit.

 

Why can't you see your friends? What does your sister have to do with you will probably never getting married?

I understand about frustration, stress, disappointment in self and I can't count how many times I turned to PMO for relief but PMO are no frustration and stress-relievers. They dig us deeper into regret, guilt, frustration (personal and in our relationships - heavenly and earthly). Let's change our mind about PM and count it as what it is evil. We are here because we want to beat this so let's make our mind up about this and be done with it. If you call yourself "an industrial grade idiot half the time" (and I seriously don't believe you're an idiot for an instant), engaging in PMO will certainly not make you smarter. Believe God that he will supply all your need in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19) - physical, emotional, and spiritual. His divine power has given us everything for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). I am sorry you feel alone, but PMO drives you further into yourself. It's a lonely act that only isolates us further from real intimacy and relationships. Let's not make excuses for PMO but call out the lie and evil for what it is. When tempted, verbalize it: "Porn and masturbation are EVIL. They are NOT good."

In reality, brother, you are never alone. The Lord who loves you infinitely is there with you at all times. Jesus is Emmanuel - God with us. He said he would not leave us as orphans but come to us. He would send his Spirit to abide with us and teach us and lead us (John 14-16). You have brothers here to share with and lean on and we are glad you are here and not retreated altogether.

I think of King David's words in Psalm 25 (you should read the whole psalm - even though we'll get to that together on day 25):

15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
bring me out of my distresses.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble,
and forgive all my sins.

Frogs2345, you didn't mention anything about your relationship with the Lord.

First things first. Keep it simple. It's about you and the Lord. Don't let anything interrupt knowing him more. Put the Lord first and seek first his kingdom and righteousness and all these other things will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). Believe the Lord. "He is good. He is good. He is good. He is good to me. He cares for me." (1 Peter 5:7). Know the Lord. Receive the Lord's love for you and learn from him what love is about and how to love. (Porn and masturbation have NOTHING to do with love!!!) Love him. Love him. Love him. Foster and build your love for him. Don't let anything interrupt you loving him for who he is.

Praying for you.

 

Day 3, Psalm 3:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+3&version=ESV

 

me too!

 

thanks for the prayers guys, I've also been praying for you! I read psalm 2 and 3 as well! I think Especially psalm 3 reminds us that God is always with us no matter what stupid things we do and maybe more importantly no matter how much times we do those stupid things. That doesn't mean that we can just keep on doing it though, instead whenever the urge arises we can flee to God and ask him to protect us from our enemy.