I'm praying for you too. I've had struggles with pornography; come to think of it since I was in the second grade when I was first introduced to it by a classmate after school. Later when I was about 13 our family moved to a new city that I liked to "explore" by riding around on the city buses. On one of those excursions we got to the end of the route where the bus was to head to the garage so I got off and crossed the street where there was a used bookstore to wait for a returning bus. I discovered a pile of nudist magazines there and managed to masturbate myself while reading them; I'm pretty sure the guy at the counter knew but he was cool about it although he wouldn't let me purchase any. I purchased a bunch of bodybuilding magazines instead and by the grace of God got to be an avid participant in the sport. One think about porn and me I've noticed is that I'm most susceptible when I'm alone and I've always been a bit of a loner all my life. I never thought that was such a bad thing in itself; I like to think independently from the crowd and not be a follower who's locked into and dominated by his peer group. But it has its risks too, and in my case I find when I'm alone and porn is within easy access and I have nothing in particular to do in the way of work, etc. that's when I think I'm most tempted.
What I've done about that that I feel has been particularly effective is to seek a vocation that I would want to spend the rest of my life doing; not just a job but something that would allow me to do something that can contribute to the lives of others. It's been 1 1/2 decades now since I decided to get a university education and I just recently earned a Ph.D. I don't say that's the magic bullet that can solve all of my or anyone else's problems but I can say for sure that it sure helps and it's been a wonderful and fun journey. I've also noticed how education can open up doors as well. I work in the medical field in the area of cancer care and it's very gratifying to think that things I do can help patients overcome cancer or at least alleviate some of their pain. I do research work as well and there's nothing like trying to figure out ways to do things nobody's ever done before to keep my mind from wandering off to the blonde in the birthday suit. In all likelihood what I'm doing might be able to help keep some blonde in a birthday suit from having to die before her time, and that would be a lot more meaningful for me than having empty sexual experiences. So if we find ways to make our lives meaningful to others in some kind of way we can experience interactions with others that can help fill the void in our lives that empty porn experiences seem to want to fill. Like I say though, I still haven't discovered any magic bullets or anything but I'm pretty sure if we want porn out of our lives we need something to take its place. For me, part of that has been getting an education in a career path that allows me to interact with people who are going through great difficulties in their own lives and to be able to apply myself to helping them and others overcome those difficulties.
I don't think there's one easy answer that fits everyone but finding faith in the Lord was the most important first step for me then seeking his plans and purposes for my life was probably the next most important step. That's a journey that can take years and consume a lot of one's thoughts and efforts, but it can be a very wonderful journey and I plan to spend the rest of my life doing just that. Blessings,
Dave
Comments
I'm praying for you too. I've had struggles with pornography; come to think of it since I was in the second grade when I was first introduced to it by a classmate after school. Later when I was about 13 our family moved to a new city that I liked to "explore" by riding around on the city buses. On one of those excursions we got to the end of the route where the bus was to head to the garage so I got off and crossed the street where there was a used bookstore to wait for a returning bus. I discovered a pile of nudist magazines there and managed to masturbate myself while reading them; I'm pretty sure the guy at the counter knew but he was cool about it although he wouldn't let me purchase any. I purchased a bunch of bodybuilding magazines instead and by the grace of God got to be an avid participant in the sport. One think about porn and me I've noticed is that I'm most susceptible when I'm alone and I've always been a bit of a loner all my life. I never thought that was such a bad thing in itself; I like to think independently from the crowd and not be a follower who's locked into and dominated by his peer group. But it has its risks too, and in my case I find when I'm alone and porn is within easy access and I have nothing in particular to do in the way of work, etc. that's when I think I'm most tempted.
What I've done about that that I feel has been particularly effective is to seek a vocation that I would want to spend the rest of my life doing; not just a job but something that would allow me to do something that can contribute to the lives of others. It's been 1 1/2 decades now since I decided to get a university education and I just recently earned a Ph.D. I don't say that's the magic bullet that can solve all of my or anyone else's problems but I can say for sure that it sure helps and it's been a wonderful and fun journey. I've also noticed how education can open up doors as well. I work in the medical field in the area of cancer care and it's very gratifying to think that things I do can help patients overcome cancer or at least alleviate some of their pain. I do research work as well and there's nothing like trying to figure out ways to do things nobody's ever done before to keep my mind from wandering off to the blonde in the birthday suit. In all likelihood what I'm doing might be able to help keep some blonde in a birthday suit from having to die before her time, and that would be a lot more meaningful for me than having empty sexual experiences. So if we find ways to make our lives meaningful to others in some kind of way we can experience interactions with others that can help fill the void in our lives that empty porn experiences seem to want to fill. Like I say though, I still haven't discovered any magic bullets or anything but I'm pretty sure if we want porn out of our lives we need something to take its place. For me, part of that has been getting an education in a career path that allows me to interact with people who are going through great difficulties in their own lives and to be able to apply myself to helping them and others overcome those difficulties.
I don't think there's one easy answer that fits everyone but finding faith in the Lord was the most important first step for me then seeking his plans and purposes for my life was probably the next most important step. That's a journey that can take years and consume a lot of one's thoughts and efforts, but it can be a very wonderful journey and I plan to spend the rest of my life doing just that. Blessings,
Dave
God is faithful and will answer your prayers and I am just so happy to be able to assist you by praying for you.
Blessings!
Carole