javajake
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Posts: 382
Occupation: retired
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Post by javajake on Feb 24, 2021 9:11:21 GMT -7
Good to hear from you Kevin! Thanks for being honest and open about this besetting sin we all struggle with. You hit so many things right on the head.
Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. Psalm 127:1
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2021 16:57:10 GMT -7
hello brother, it's nice to have you and I'm glad we can help each other. It's biblical to keep each other accountable for living a holy life unto Jesus and pray for one another. We are all the same, no matter what we have done, and we all need Jesus. Amen.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2021 16:58:13 GMT -7
Good to hear from you Kevin! Thanks for being honest and open about this besetting sin we all struggle with. You hit so many things right on the head. Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. Psalm 127:1
Amen brother. Sometimes, I catch myself doing so much of me then it gets destroyed. I just want to live right for Jesus and love you guys and pray for you and you pray for me too. Yup.
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Post by Will on Feb 25, 2021 3:52:11 GMT -7
Hey Kevin!!
Well just wanted to say hi and when I was where you are, you were there encouraging and helping and being a great blessing. Remember you are still a mighty man of God. It's a spiritual war, and just because of setbacks doesn't mean you have lost. You could only lose by giving up. I truly believe that the Lord Jesus more than anything wants us to not give up, to keep on believing that He will save us and free us. Keep going brother!!! The Kingdom of God is better than orgasms!!!!
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KevinesKay
Administrator
Posts: 1,741
Occupation: Balloon Artist
Interests: weight lifting, singing, playing the guitar
Days of Integrity: 1 year
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Post by KevinesKay on Feb 25, 2021 13:48:37 GMT -7
So I'm at work today. I work a lot. I actually quit my full-time job last year to do GrubHub, doordash, and Uber eats on a full-time basis. And I really love it!
When covid-19 hit last March, I lost my part-time gig. And in order to replace the supplemental income that I depended on, I started doing the food delivery apps. Let's just say with all the change that's been going on this past year, it's forced a lot of good things on me. when the restaurants open up again, I'll be able to do my other gig again. But no more working at the bank for me. Yes!
God has been very gracious with me today. He's offered me some really good tidbits of knowledge that have been helpful when keeping custody of my eyes and mind. He's done that before. But here's where I've gone wrong.
Often times, I've been guilty of depending more on God's gifts than on God himself.
I say, "thanks God for the push. But I got it from here. I'll see you at dinner time." That's my pride.
I stumbled upon @mike's article, "Sexual Sobriety isn't Enough". I must have read that article a dozen times over the years. But this is the first time I believe that I truly understood what that means for myself. How could I have missed such an important message? I guess I'm a slow learner. But many never learn. The Bible says that narrow is the gate to life and only a few find it.
It's a fact that it is physically impossible for me to maintain perfect custody of my eyes and my mind. I cannot do it. And God knows I've tried. And I thought that if I did this and this and this and this and this. And also this and this and this and this,
Then it would all lead me to stop masturbating to porn.
The Bible says to put no confidence in the flesh. My flesh is weak. There is no bargaining with it and there is no reasoning with it. My flesh is going to do what my flesh is going to do.
And God's okay with that. He never expected me to fix my flesh. He's not too concerned about how perfect of a tree I am. He's more concerned about whether or not I'm bearing fruit. And the only way to do that is to stay attached to the vine. And the Holy Spirit can do the work inside me. He can lead me to a pure life. He can do what I cannot. He makes the impossible possible.
Lot of my prayers have been pretty simple lately. Sometimes I just been saying, "God help me. God help me. God help me," hundreds of times a day when enduring temptation. But God has always been with me. According to his word, he's always with me, whether I like it or not. Both God and I have been enjoying these intimate moments lately. It's been a long time since I've drawn this close to him.
I'm reminded of Paul's Thorn in the flesh. God kept that thorn inside Paul to strip him of his pride. And I have my own thorn. And God's keeping it inside me for the same reason. He hates my pride. And I'm finding out that his grace is more than sufficient. He's bigger than all of this.
Thus, my desire to fornicate is a constant reminder to lose my pride and to submit myself before the Lord my God, my master. It's better this way. My thorn, which I thought was my greatest defect of character for most of my life, has now become my greatest blessing.
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javajake
Silver Member
Posts: 382
Occupation: retired
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Post by javajake on Feb 26, 2021 10:15:49 GMT -7
Yeah that pride thing is no good. Training the flesh is not the answer cause like you said it leads to pride. Plus it dose not work.
Galatians 5:16 KJV
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
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KevinesKay
Administrator
Posts: 1,741
Occupation: Balloon Artist
Interests: weight lifting, singing, playing the guitar
Days of Integrity: 1 year
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Post by KevinesKay on Feb 28, 2021 23:51:01 GMT -7
We went to Wisconsin to celebrate a wedding.
The world is speaking out against marriage more and more. It's nice to see that many people still believe in it.
Don't believe the world when others try to say that marriage is not good for you.
God's Word says that marriage is honorable.
After the wedding, we went to an exotic animal show where my wife was volunteering at. This weekend was full of temptation to lust. I am pretty broken, but God is bigger than all of that.
I've changed one of my outer circle boundaries. It stated:
Allow yourself to appreciate a woman's physical beauty in a healthy way, but more importantly, allow yourself to see them also for who they are emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.
I originally got this idea from a book by Merlin Caruthers, What's on your Mind. But over many years, I'm choosing to go against it. I've learned that it's just better for me not to look at the women at all. It's better this way.
I really don't need to look at them to appreciate them. I can actually see them better for who they really are if I don't look at them. Otherwise, it's too easy to fall into lust and open the same pathways in my brain that lead to my pornography use.
Think about the profound statement that I just made.
I can see the women better if I don't look at them.
But I needed God's help all the way. There was a lot of opportunity to lust this weekend and my flesh was ready to go. I'm glad I chose to lean on my master. Again, it's better this way. And I'm grateful. And I'm a bit exhausted.
Good night everybody.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2021 0:08:16 GMT -7
Amen, good night brother. Dear God, please help us to respect your daughters and please bless my brother with good dreams. Thank you Jesus.
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Post by Will on Mar 2, 2021 4:01:04 GMT -7
Hey Kevin,
That is one more victory for Jesus' Kingdom bro!
For me, definitely can't allow myself to appreciate a woman's body! My mind is too warped to be able to do that without lusting! I have to look away immediately and give any thoughts to the Lord!
Love from Will
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2021 20:39:19 GMT -7
Hey Kevin, That is one more victory for Jesus' Kingdom bro! For me, definitely can't allow myself to appreciate a woman's body! My mind is too warped to be able to do that without lusting! I have to look away immediately and give any thoughts to the Lord! Love from Will me too brother, there is not appreciation for a women's body. It's a secret for her future husband and his eyes alone, that is what I am telling myself. God created Adam for Eve and Eve for Adam, God said it is not good for a man to be alone and I will make a suitable partner for him... God made Adam a suitable partner for him, and for him only. Not to be shared. I have no right to look and when I have a quick glance at her skin (in my part) it's wrong of me. I'm stealing something that her husband should have not me. Also, according to the Bible, whenever a man joins himself to a prostitute, he is one with her in body, so when we look and have lust and even the slightest high in the brain, we are making our spirit united with her. it's a united spirit of two into one, which is not a holy marriage but a perversion. Jesus wants us to be united/vigourouly abiding in Him, and if we are married, to be united to our wives two become one. How I know how bad my adultery is....when i imagine that if my wife looked at man lustfully, and wanted to be with him sexually, I would be so terribly hurt and jealous, and this is exactly what I'm doing...terribly hurting and inflicting jealously on my wife. This is how evil my sin is. I don't just want to leave with that thought, my evil, for that would give glory to evil and the self and evil, but God should get the glory. God is here God is good God see all my doings God sees all my thoughts God said to the sinner, "Go and sin no more" God said "Neither do I condemn you, now go and sin no more" Let's see how merciful God is now and keep that close to our hearts that we would go and sin no more. Dear Heavenly Father, we give you our minds, we cast down all wicked thoughts in the name of Jesus, get out Satan in the name of Jesus, for it is written, "flee sexual immorality" and "thou shalt not commit adultery" and "think of younger women as sisters, in absolute purity". God is praised, we love Jesus Christ and we will not walk in the flesh anymore, we will surrender to the Lord God. Lord Jesus, please help us to be holy and pure in your eyes. Please help us to immerse ourselves in your word, in worship of you, in prayers, and help us to get off the internet, stop sinning, in the name of Jesus, if this internet has become too much. Please keep us away from boredom and busy in your work dear Jesus. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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KevinesKay
Administrator
Posts: 1,741
Occupation: Balloon Artist
Interests: weight lifting, singing, playing the guitar
Days of Integrity: 1 year
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Post by KevinesKay on Mar 4, 2021 5:18:51 GMT -7
Yesterday I did not work a full day because I had to take care of a couple of emergencies. First off our dog got sick and she wasn't eating. My wife took her to the vet on Tuesday. They treated her for a urinary tract infection and sent her back home. But the vet called yesterday saying that our dog needed emergency surgery after reviewing the tests done on Tuesday. I'm not a dog lover. And this dog has already costing me $1500 in the past 3 months. And I still have yet to see the bill for the surgery. After this one goes to dog heaven, I don't want another dog. However, my wife loves animals. So we have lots of animals. We also have a cat, a hamster, two turtles, seven birds, and 12 guinea pigs 😠
Not only did we have a dog emergency, but also the shower drain got clogged on Tuesday night. After trying Drano and a plunger, it still wouldn't go down. And on Wednesday morning, there was still standing water in the shower. So I went downstairs and started cutting pipes. The water came out and I finally located the clog close to the main drain pipe. Then I had to buy some more pipes and put everything back together.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2021 6:47:31 GMT -7
Yesterday I did not work a full day because I had to take care of a couple of emergencies. First off our dog got sick and she wasn't eating. My wife took her to the vet on Tuesday. They treated her for a urinary tract infection and sent her back home. But the vet called yesterday saying that our dog needed emergency surgery after reviewing the tests done on Tuesday. I'm not a dog lover. And this dog has already costing me $1500 in the past 3 months. And I still have yet to see the bill for the surgery. After this one goes to dog heaven, I don't want another dog. However, my wife loves animals. So we have lots of animals. We also have a cat, a hamster, two turtles, seven birds, and 12 guinea pigs 😠 Not only did we have a dog emergency, but also the shower drain got clogged on Tuesday night. After trying Drano and a plunger, it still wouldn't go down. And on Wednesday morning, there was still standing water in the shower. So I went downstairs and started cutting pipes. The water came out and I finally located the clog close to the main drain pipe. Then I had to buy some more pipes and put everything back together. For future clogs, get muriatic acid. You can find it at a plumber supply store. That stuff will eat through anything. I used it all the time before I was living in rentals. Some hardware stores or farm supply stores may carry it also. Remember The Lord is your provider. Go to Him to provide for the vet bills. Do you believe that healing is for today? If so, start praying over your animals. The Lord heals all His creations not just us humans.
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KevinesKay
Administrator
Posts: 1,741
Occupation: Balloon Artist
Interests: weight lifting, singing, playing the guitar
Days of Integrity: 1 year
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Post by KevinesKay on Mar 4, 2021 13:08:26 GMT -7
Thank you amymine712. God has been very faithful to me and is a good provider. I know everything will be alright. God, please keep my animals healthy. Even though I don't like them. Thank you and Amen. 🙂
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2021 22:49:40 GMT -7
wow, what a rough trial for your pet dog. I remember my dogs. They passed when I already left home but I did cry when they passed. My children now ask us for pets (cats and dogs) but I say no and we just have a bird, 3 birds. Some fish too. It makes the house lively when we are bored and we can appreciate God's creation. I hope your dog will be ok brother.
Dear God, please heal their sick dog and let her be ok. Please help with the house and drains that are getting stuck. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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Post by Will on Mar 5, 2021 1:58:27 GMT -7
I read this as:
"For future dogs, get muriatic acid. You can find it at a plumber supply store."
Lols
I thought 'wow, that seems extreme, but okay maybe she's onto something...!"
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