Hello everyone, I’m here to offer you some encouragement and share my own story. I have already written a few posts about my testimony, but I will try to summarize it briefly:
-Single from one year
-22 years old man.
- I became a practicing Christian a year ago. I truly began trying to follow God around August, though I was still relying on my own understanding and my own desires; I hadn’t yet fully surrendered. I was off to a good start—reading the Bible, praying, and so on—but I wasn’t yet a true follower.
- That only happened a few months later, around mid-September.
- I began to hate sin and prayed for God to deliver me from a destructive addiction: sexual immorality (in a general sense).
- In October, I began this journey; whenever I felt tempted, I would pray for God’s help—even using the simplest of words.
- I continued to read the Bible and pray almost every day, which was a great help.
- After many months, I felt so close to Him, but then I fell back into sin and began to doubt God’s existence—or at least the existence of the Christian God. I even came close to renouncing the Holy Spirit, who, up until that point, had been helping me fight and get back on my feet.
- A few weeks later, I returned to God, having realized that He truly exists—a conviction that grew as I studied the Bible more deeply and prayed unceasingly for His help. Furthermore, I began experiencing sleep paralysis at night, and I would sometimes wake up unexpectedly, even though I was getting 8–9 hours of sleep.
- Since about a week before the end of April, I have been free from this habit—it has now been nearly six months.
What I want to tell you is this: no battle is too great, because there is Someone greater—greater than these temptations, and greater than we are ourselves—our God and Lord, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. I want to pray for the whole subreddit; guys and girls, we are never alone... we just need to surrender ourselves to God's love.
I say this even though I am still often tempted—even just by erotic thoughts or dreams (or waking up wet).
I don't know why or how to avoid these latter things either; I don't feel entirely free from lust yet, but every time I strip it of its power (by fleeing to God), it’s as if I’m left alone for a while.
I don't know if you are going through a similar situation; I’m not particularly worried or doubtful, but I do feel a bit unsettled sometimes..
I am still very young, and I firmly believe that if I finish my studies soon and entrust every burden to God, I might find someone with whom I am truly compatible—ideally, someone with whom I could build a home and start a family. I know that if I continue to resist temptations—by avoiding certain websites and steering clear of provocative images—and, above all, by praying for God to remove these things from my life, I can succeed in this plan. Please understand, I do not view God as a genie in a lamp; rather, it is as if He were a partner in this endeavor. I also know that, as the Gospel of John says…
• 1 John 5:14: “This is the confidence we have in him: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”