ZionHeart

OK. My two cents. number 1. Go easy on yourself. Yeah masturbation is bad, but its not THAT bad. every male struggles at times with their sexuality (even those of us who are married). As mentioned above the adversary loves to get you to do something and then get you to beat yourself up over it. Realize that while its something that kills the spirit and is not pleasing to God, it is just something you have to work on. Boyd K. Packer said its not something God will cut you off for. This will go a long way towards helping you to control it. You have to break that downward spiral. number 2. your thoughts are the key to the problem. if you kill sexual thoughts you will find that it is a lot easier to resist the urges. As mentioned above the porn has to go first because if fuels your thoughts. Study the gospel as much as you can. Make a sacrifice in your life and only listen to church music and the scriptures until you are comfortable that you are doing well. Fill your life with gospel input. number 3. Pray. if you want to beat this (and believe me you do) then you have to pray. The key to your problem is the atonement. You have to learn to let go. Let go of your pain and your problems and to give them to the Saviour. Not with your lips but with your heart. He will take your burden but you have to be willing to let go of it. Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. I struggled to understand this scripture for most of my life. The key is to humble yourself and to have true faith in Christ. It really works. If you can get a hold of the book 'Believing Christ' by Stephen E. Robinson then read it. It will really help you understand how His grace can help you. number 4. Get professional help. A good councilor can really help you get your head around things - the church also has an addiction recovery program that by all accounts is fantastic for helping people like you. Your Bishop might not be a professional but he is able to receive inspiration on your behalf so use him too. I hope you can get out of your situation (the reality is you probably cant do it on your own - you need the Lord to help you) - i feel for you as all of us here do. good luck and God bless :)

This is why we have modern prophets to make sure we do things the right way and do not fall into apostasy. If the Lord says it matters not what you eat or drink when you take the sacrament (D&C 27:2) but that it is done with an eye single to His glory then i really dont think it matters if we kneel or dont kneel. If it did, the brethren would tell us so.

Thanks :) Funny that i dreaded the calling too, but have loved it also.

Thanks for joining! I am new to the forum too - and have been a member all my life. You will never regret investigating the church. It is the fullness of the gospel restored to the earth. The more i learn the more i know that :) The best part is you dont have to take my word for it - you can ask God yourself: James 1: 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. Moroni 10:3-5 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would aask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

I applaud you for taking this step. it is hard for people to come back after a long absence, i for one would welcome anyone who has been inactive from the church with open arms. Like others have said - i encourage you to let go of the past and just do it. The first time will be the hardest. Happy to help you in any way i can :)

Hello, i am a 36 year old male member of the church in Adelaide, South Australia. Married with 4 boys (and another on the way) I serve as the ward mission leader in my ward. I am hoping to share my thoughts and faith with all of you. I was born into the church, and served a mission in the south west of England and Wales (incidentally where my parents both joined the church). I have a deep appreciation for the Saviour and his atoning sacrifice, i have come to know of the truthfulness of the gospel through the feelings of the holy spirit. Looking forward to interacting with you :) ZH