There's no need to ask God for forgiveness

[Gloria25]

Yeah I can't help it that I have a sexual appetite. God went against my free will and gave me sexual desires. Only a sadistic being would give me sexual desires and then expect me to just ignore those desires in order to please Him. Masturbation is part of the expression of my human nature. Life is hard enough as it is and any religion worth having is suppose to bring comfort and relief in one's life and not make it more difficult by demanding ridiculous things such as giving up masturbation when that is my way of satisfying my sexual appetite. If God had a problem with it then He should have made me asexual.

 

Just another perspective, if you will?

 

In some religions, people believe God gives us instructions/orders not just to decide if we get punished and/or go to heaven/heck, but for our well being on this planet. Think of it, God is superior to us. While He gave man brains and stuff, at the end of the day man is not smart enough to even make laws that are without flaws.

 

So, when you look at masturbation - especially with the rise of online/available porn - God saw how masturbation could/would alienate people and prevent them from having actual/meaningful relationships/intimacy with others.

 

So, God is not just telling us to stop it cuz He's always looking for reasons to strike us with lightning.

[pie2]

I'm going to heck in a hand-basket, ok? Now and then I like send a shout-out to my dead sister cuz I always said we'd be both in there.

 

But, I still pray for God's mercy though on my soul, I may reach heaven eventually (like in a million earth years), but I believe God will make sure I pay for my sins.

 

Thankfully, praying to God for mercy is a good start to making it through the judgment and not going to "heck" (lol...if you're worried about saying hell...are you really that bad off?).

Edited January 24, 2015 by pie2

[Levite]

Remember that all sin is ultimately because of the devil. People succumb to his deception and temptation. Therefore, since God is going to deal with Satan once and for all, the only job we have is to repent. It's a messy world. Everything is screwed up. But all it takes is belief in Christ and he will solve the problem--some of it now, some of it at the judgement. This man might enter Heaven before some other "good citizens". God alone knows the heart.

[Darren2013]

Just another perspective, if you will?

 

In some religions, people believe God gives us instructions/orders not just to decide if we get punished and/or go to heaven/heck, but for our well being on this planet. Think of it, God is superior to us. While He gave man brains and stuff, at the end of the day man is not smart enough to even make laws that are without flaws.

 

So, when you look at masturbation - especially with the rise of online/available porn - God saw how masturbation could/would alienate people and prevent them from having actual/meaningful relationships/intimacy with others.

 

So, God is not just telling us to stop it cuz He's always looking for reasons to strike us with lightning.

 

 

Yeah well not everyone falls into that category. For some masturbation is the only option they have because they have a hard time attracting a mate for whatever reason. Not everyone is destined to marry or have a significant other so masturbation is the solution. At least for some it starts out that way.

 

That was my case. The only reason I started masturbating at 16 was because I thought the likelihood of girls being interested in me sexually was slim. Unfortunately by the time I met my first girlfriend 18 months later it was already too late as it had turned into an addiction that I couldn't break. I mean even when I finally had the first kiss I had to pinch myself a few times to make sure I wasn't dreaming because I just couldn't believe I finally had a first girlfriend.

 

What started out as a way to meet my needs until a woman was interested in me turned into an addiction unplanned. Ever since then I've been hooked. The sex was not really as enjoyable as it could have been with my first girlfriend. After 2002 I just gave up on sex because it wasn't doing much for me. No orgasm. I even fell asleep during sex with the girl I was dating in 2002.

 

So there is merit and I would advise young guys to learn a lesson from me. It is fine to use masturbation as a way to get your needs met until you find a girlfriend but I do not have a secret formula of how many times you can do it before it becomes an addiction. You just don't know when a girl is going to be interested in you sexually and so if and when that happens you gotta be ready for her and not bound up in masturbation addiction.

Edited January 24, 2015 by Darren2013

[autumnnight]

But if heaven is only for people who live up to a certain level of goodness in conduct and works then they would not need God's mercy. Mercy is given to those who have done nothing to deserve it.

 

Thank goodness our eternity does not depend on us being good enough. Because the Bible says ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. That means everyone has sinned. If you think of us on one side of an uncrossable chasm and God on the other, does it really matter if you jump as far as you can if you end up a foot away or a mile away? In either case you fall. The reason we can have the hope of Heaven is because Jesus came to earth and took OUR punishment for sin on the cross. The Bible also says that the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.

 

Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. But part of salvation is repenting, and that means turning from sin. It is something that we cannot do on our own, but ! Corinthians 10:13 says that God always gives us a way to escape temptation. We just have to make the choice to take it, and granted, when we enjoy that sin, when it feels good, choosing not to do it is HARD.

 

Does God forgive us as Christians even if we don't ask? Probably, I'm not 100% sure. But I think part of confession is for the humility it brings us to acknowledge that we have sinned and need His grace. Let's face it, admitting we are wrong about anything is not humanity's strong suit.

[Arieswoman]

Darren2013,

The Greek word we use for confess means "to agree with." When we confess our sins to our heavenly Father, we are agreeing with Him. We are agreeing with His attitude about sin; that is, sin is against Him, it is destructive to His purpose for our lives, and it carries with it consequences that will prove painful.

 

Confession also implies that we are assuming responsibility for our actions. We are not blaming our actions on others. Confession means that we see ourselves in relationship to our deeds of sin just like God does.

 

The bible does not say that masturbation is a sin. However, masturbation doesn't normally come alone, it comes with sexual fantasies that are played out in pornography which objectifies both women and men. That's where the "sin" comes in.

[Gloria25]

Yeah well not everyone falls into that category. For some masturbation is the only option they have because they have a hard time attracting a mate for whatever reason. Not everyone is destined to marry or have a significant other so masturbation is the solution. At least for some it starts out that way.

 

That was my case. The only reason I started masturbating at 16 was because I thought the likelihood of girls being interested in me sexually was slim. Unfortunately by the time I met my first girlfriend 18 months later it was already too late as it had turned into an addiction that I couldn't break. I mean even when I finally had the first kiss I had to pinch myself a few times to make sure I wasn't dreaming because I just couldn't believe I finally had a first girlfriend.

 

What started out as a way to meet my needs until a woman was interested in me turned into an addiction unplanned. Ever since then I've been hooked. The sex was not really as enjoyable as it could have been with my first girlfriend. After 2002 I just gave up on sex because it wasn't doing much for me. No orgasm. I even fell asleep during sex with the girl I was dating in 2002.

 

So there is merit and I would advise young guys to learn a lesson from me. It is fine to use masturbation as a way to get your needs met until you find a girlfriend but I do not have a secret formula of how many times you can do it before it becomes an addiction. You just don't know when a girl is going to be interested in you sexually and so if and when that happens you gotta be ready for her and not bound up in masturbation addiction.

 

Well, I do not believe in addictions, per se. I believe that while we may do certain things that create a physical, emotional, and/or chemical dependency - those things can be undone, but it takes a willingness and a lot of hard work.

 

Using the masturbation as an example here, some would easily stick to the masturbation instead of do the hard work to be intimate with another person. Masturbation is quick, requires no pressure, and you get your needs somewhat satisfied - like going to a fast food restaurant. You get your fill, but it's not the same as a well cooked meal.

 

When I come out of a drought, it takes a while to get adjusted to being intimate and getting physical satisfaction cuz yeah, your body gets adjusted to having orgasm from masturbation. Shoot, that's why sometimes I myself am hesitant to come out of a drought. I mean after I masturbate, I orgasm and am like "all done, don't need a guy anymore".

 

And, I understand that when young, we all have our share of trying to find our way. No one is saying you're a loser or something for masturbating cuz until you got a gf. I believe our upbringing has to do with that. I wish my parents had a more stable home and talked to me about the bird and the bees. If they did, I'd probably not even waste time trying to get the attention/emotion I didn't get at home from guys who weren't worth it and/or would have realized I was young and didn't have to put so much emphasis on whether or not someone would date me. I mean, over the years I've learned to be happy by myself.

 

So, now its up to you...while you believe you have an "addiction", I believe you hav choices to move away from masturbation - but you have to actively do things to break away from it (seeing a sex therapist/counselor and/or taking baby steps in the bedroom to get yourself used to sex you actually enjoy with a woman.

 

No offense, but from what you've posted here and what I believe I know about you, I think you haven't met someone who was either skilled enough or that you could trust enough to bring you out of your need to masturbate. I talk and hear from a lot of women's bedroom activities and many are not that skilled and/or don't care if the sex is just him on top of her pummping away (pretty much bad sex).

 

Maybe one day you will find someone that can help you see past masturbation, but part of me doubts you want that cuz you're scared to become obsessed, clingy, and you have other issues going on that won't allow you to open up yourself to be intimate - real intimacy - with a woman.

 

That's where I am too. It's hard for me to trust. Shoot, I had a time where I couldn't have sex w/o a drink ot two. Then, took me forever to make eye contact and/or allow myself to orgasm. I also get upset at God, cuz I ask myself why I have these urges - yet I came from such a f-d up home where I lost the ability to trust a man with my heart...and, I also ask God that if He expects me to get with a guy, why not put better guys out there in the dating pool to choose from? About the obsession/clingyness? About the same here too. When I met my recent crush, I was so excited cuz I thought I met someone that was into chicks of my race, didn't have that awful accent like the people in my area, seems to be responsible/stable/hard working - and I kicked myself for not recognizing him sooner. So, I went overboard with delusions on his interest level and me trying to make it work - so, I get where you're coming from when you said your 1st gf seemed "too good to be true" and you probably got a little obsessed/clingy cuz you were like "finally!!!".

 

Anywho, rant over. Again, while you caution young males not to get trapped into an "addiction", I believe that masturbation "addiction" isn't a life sentence.