struggling

[RoseofSharon]

 

Jesus said in Matthew that whosoever putteth away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery. I always had a head knowledge and I understood that to mean divorce is not acceptable to GOd, period! I still hold that line, and believe that to this day, but heres my struggle.

In another thread I recently confessed about my struggle to overcome a certain unhealthy addiction in my life,one I am not proud of any more than I am proud of the fact that I fell into the temptation of living and sleeping with my ex, though we were not married(let me add here I would have married him willingly, but he refused and went off to marry another woman). Yes that part of life has been my biggest downfall, but GOd be praised, he gave me the victory over the interest in ****, and he's giving me the victory over certain other lustful activities  . However heres the rub, as I wean these things out of my life, another problem seems to be coming in. That seems to be my dreams. I have never struggled with inappropriate dream content, but to say that lately my dreams have become 'adult' in  content, would be an understatement. It's as though the devil seems to be now I can't get her awake so now I'll try in her dreams. I am aware that freud formulated the idea of dreams as being wish fulfilment.

Any practical ideas as to what I can do to overcome this???? I want to overcome it but yet I am not sure how......

MY days are spent in a manner that I really am not putting this stuff in my mind any more. I spend most of my days either on These Christian forums, or going out to the shops etc. When I wake up from these dreams I either cry, or I feel sick, or like this morning it's both.

Yes flee in prayer which is what I do, but I need practical suggestions as well here......Otherwise please pray for me and help me as best as you can please?!

[peacemaker]

Sister I must say, I am soooooo proud of you for bring this up.  I have tried to talk about this, in the post I been talking about being rejected because of my weight.  The strain on me is what is hard.  I dont know if you remember, for a not to long ago on the other site I posted asking for prayer about this same topic, and couldnt bring myself to get into it all, just gave enough info, that if one could but two and two together, they would have known.  Now I have not been addicked to ****...but my hubby has, though doing much better....but after the weight came on me, and then .... buy myself....I struggled with dreams.  AT times it was light...but when I posted asking for pray...and couldnt post out right, as well as not feeling safe to just come out with it all.  I was having dreams about and ex boyfriend I had when I was 14....really that far back, and I just couldnt get what or where my brain had gone!  
But one things I can tell you, their was a spirit there.  I know when i am going attacked and when it is just that normal struggle, spirits play on our addictions, and weekness to see us fall.  I cryied from those dreams, and they where back to back.  To top it off, I couldnt stay away, it was like I have a fog over me...that coffee couldnt help!  It was after I  asked for pray that it started to up left, and each time I added one more to my prayer covering, I could feel like I had more control over not going there in my mind.  My dreams went back to normal.  To boot, my hubby gets attacked, and I can feel that to, I turn and pray over him as he sleeps, and goes back to normal breathing and all.  I can tell you are growing stronger in this area.  Just proud of you!  Ill list what kinds of things help me...at less when I feel week.  

Is read or but on a audio bible...worship music.  And I get prayer covering for myself.  

 

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[peacemaker]

I take a cold showwer, drink milk to help me sleep.  I not off the stimulating drinks, like coffee... 
I have even got up and played my violin even at 3 or 4 am.   
I pray befor I go to bed for G-d to help me in that area, as well  as to protect my dreams.
Mostly if I just keep my brain off the topic as long as I can it helps...so i get feel good topics to read, help others...like on the forum...and play games of my phone...But most of the time reading or audio bible seems to do just what I need.  I for get any of these things and forget that it isnt normal....and I end up paying for it with a bad dream in all  its nastiness!

One of the other things is, the men in the church that struggle with this gets other men to hold them accountable, and that seems to help so prayer and the word and worship seems to have to most power for peace then any thing else.

I hope this helps.  I will keep you in my prayers and every night, I will 
We both will get some  peace from this, amen!

 

[RoseofSharon]

  Thank you for understanding. 

This is kinda what I don't understand prayer is almost an automatic thing for me to do as I go to bed, yes I do occasionally forget, but not often and certainly there's no correlation between forgetting and these dreams for me.

I don't drink stimulating drinks before I go to bed, rather what I drink most of is either the odd fizzy (NOT coke) drink or herbal teas. I haven't really thought about that topic for a while,not for any  *naughty* reasons, almost twenty four seven I'm either playing or listening to worship music, and like I said in my waking hours God is giving me the victory, it's well these dreams........

I too play my violin but not at  3/4am lol.

Please I am not discounting your advice and I really appreciate, but what I'm trying to say is more that is my daily life you have just described.

And please Laurel be proud of yourself as well, for you helped to give me courage to post about it......

[peacemaker]

I did good late night.....nicer zzzzz's!  One things as well, I dont own the dreams I have.  What I mean is we both have to under stand, unless you complete can control them, you are then not in-control of them... so by no fault of your own you are being under attack.     I ment to say that last night...but was night completely their. 

We need to take note that our fight isnt against flash and blood.  So in my mind it has to be a spiritual fight.  Now I am not talkign about those moments where you completely indalge in those moments that lead to sins.  That is why we have to hold all "thoughts" captive to Jesus.  Superness and refusing to cave.   


One other thing, the bible states, if you think you stand take head lest you fall.  So we have just got to take steps to protect ourselves.  There was a time in my life, where temtation was coming out of the woodwork for me!  You know what I mean.  The so called friends that dont thing about what they put on their tv, and even those that do thing and want to see you falls so they can make themselves feel better, getting some kind of sick kick out of seeing you struggle.  I had to only put those that will becareful around me.  Like I have a friend on this street that knows I am trying to stay away from soy and cotten seed in the foods I eat.  I found her at the beach and sat down with her, and she told me I could help myself to a chips, I was like, "NO THING YOU".  and she stated that it had not soy or cotten seed oils in them.   

[peacemaker]

So I had a few, and thanked her as she smiled really big to herself about thinking about that.    Sooooo taken those friends out of your life that dont care to protect is a good thing at times, at less until you are strong enough to be strong around them.
I have even gotten some books that help me re-think what I am doing.  For when sin has changed your thinking about things, making that area pure and sweet anymore, then we have to reset out thinks, clear away what isnt pure and holy, and work to not let it back in.  I had to even cut out some movies, and even go as far as keeping the tv off completely. 

But in the end, when you are doing all to stand, all you can do is keep doing that, even in the face of it being hard.  What other thing helps me, is Jesus knows all about all temptations and sees our struggles, he is moved for us and is working on our behafe to be their through it all.  Paul stated that he had struggles where he would do what he didnt want to, and wasnt strong enough to do what is right at times...it is the struggle of the flash, and as long as we are in it, it will not go away, and in truth get any easyer.  So we have to look at where we can find strangth at, that is through prayer, worship, and the word....as well as the word states that where there are three or more touching one thing is will be done, it says that a cord of 3 strans are quickly broken, so he means for us to stick together, as well as through our words we are set free!  Jesus used the word out load in dealing with saten when he was being tempted and so I thought if it worked for him it is good enough for me.  I know this is a even funnyer idea but.....

[peacemaker]

I even but the bible down, replacing my pillow, and went to sleep on its open words.  That was on one of the biggest nights I was struggling, so back I had things moving in the room around me.  AS soon as I opened the bible and did that is stopped, and i had gained some peace.
Let me tell you one of my stories.  My hubby and I went through a time, being lead into praying very early in the morning hours as the sun was coming up.  It got so back that instead of praying we was rebuking those demons that was coming in.  We thought well we must be doing something right, until a light came on in my brain.  We where being destracted by their games (seeing as this is the same kinds of headgames) so we stopped spending out fight rebuking and focused on praying, did it stop...nope...not at first.  But our prayer times where more productive.  I posted a story about my dog, where she was under the bed.  I sat their the longest time, sleeping through the bed shacking and my daughter was like, why?!  I said, I didnt care, I just wanted my sleep, and I wasnt scare if it anymore, because you know...greater is Jesus that is in me then he that is in the world, I didnt think I was going to be harmed.  I sleep through most of the bad dreams, and move on at times, and most of the time I am strong enough that it doesn bother me...but there are those times where boy !!!  I dont know what else I can say.  I hope just talking about it helps, as well as knowing I am praying for you about this.  I prayed as I went to bed last night for you, and well keep doing so each night.  We will resist together!  amen!

You telling me that I gave you that helped you to post, that was way cool!   

 

[RoseofSharon]

  Thankyou, I'll try the thing about sleeping on an open bible. ALthough to be honest my house is so full of bibles - I mean everywhere! I have one next to my Computer where I sit, I have several next to my bed, more on my bookshelf, one where I sit on the sofa etc, etc, you get the idea lol, I'm not sure if actually having it open would make a huge difference, but it's certainly worth a try :)  

I don't even have a TV anymore, and I rarely watch 'wordly' movies, and if I do most of mine are classified PG, which means they don't have that sort of thing in them (Yes I do still have a few that are 15 and 18, but not many. I want to get a tv to watch things like the news on, bit hey that's a different story altogether.  

As for surrounding myself with only people who care to help, well I live alone and rarely see any of my friends anyway, so that's not really a problem. YOu guys on here are the friends I 'see' most regularly anyway, and I know you all want to encourage and uplift me, so no probs there...

 :what:I too have had problems with the demons throwing things around etc. So I fully understand what you are going through here, and I can honestly say, that other than realising the possible consequences of what they were doing, it didn't really bother me. I knew from the get go they were subject to Jesus, and that with Jesus on my side, they could nothing than what God let them do.  

 :sad0121:There seems to be an unspoken expectation that because we are 'Christian' we should be 'saints' (I am not referring here to sinners saved by grace, but rather the unrealistic saint that is absolutely perfect lol). SOmehow even at the other forum I would certainly have been way to embarrassed to say anything. IT kinda felt as if 'couldn't let the side down' kinda pressure. D'ya know what I mean?  

[tsth]

I believe it's already been implied BUT, you really NEED to read the Bible RIGHT before going to sleep.   I have a daily reading Bible by my bed.  I really like the "read the Bible" in a year Bibles, because they give you a set plan on reading EVERY DAY.  It's laid out by date.  Anyway, I read my Bible EVERY night before going to sleep.  That is the last thing I do before turning out the lights, is have the Word of God in my heart and head.


I TRULY believe that the Word of God is our heart protection...we desperately need it:


James 1: 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

In His Love,
Suzanne

[SEVEN THUNDERS]

Hi Rose, I know EXACTLY what you are going through, this was an area that I was plagued with for many years after becoming a Christian (not before) that the demonic realm took full advantage (and God allowed it to bring ultimate healing --- anything we go through serves to bring us to the other side to VICTORY), but even to greater extremes with the descent upon me by a succubus she-demon named “Blashacka”, meaning the “Maneater”.  The demonic realm is fully aware of our internal yearnings and wants.  Whenever I felt “lonely” and “love starved” she actually knew it and the “loneliness” became an “open door” for the demon to descend upon me.  Though the physical aspect is not the extent to what you are experiencing, just the same the triggering mechanism and process is identical.

The awareness of what was really happening was revealed to me one night by the Lord, who allowed the she-demon to come upon me and simultaneously generate a song by Aretha Franklin, entitled “Daydreaming” that was popular in the 70s.  When this happened I thought my radio alarm clock went off and was blasting this song out and waking up all the neighbors, but in reality it was all in the spirit as I suddenly realized the presence of the succubus.  I had a tape of Aretha singing the song on it and I played it and was shocked how the lyrics (seemingly sung from the point of view from the she-demon) revealed how my internal loneliness attracted her presence, the eroticism and the illusory sexual fantasy dreams.

Below are the lyrics; the verses are from the she-demon’s point of view and the chorus represents my longing and was my point of view; so the verses were the demonic answer to my loneliness, longing and love starved state that acted as the “open door” for the experiences, and “FEEDS IT”.

Day Dreaming
by Aretha Franklin
1972 - Soul


Daydreaming and I'm thinking of you
Daydreaming and I'm thinking of you
Daydreaming and I'm thinking of you
Daydreaming and I'm thinking of you
Look at my life floating away

He's the kind of guy
That would say
Hey, baby, let's get away
Let's go some place, h u h
Where, I don't care

He's the kind of guy
That you give your everything
You trust your heart
Share all of your love
'Til death do you part

I want to be what he wants
When he wants it and
Whenever he needs it
And when he's lonesome
And feeling love starved
I'll be there to feed it

I'm loving him a
Little bit more each day
Turns me right on
When I hear him say

Hey, baby, let's get away
Let's go somewhere far
Baby, can we
Where, I don't care

Hey, baby, let's get away
Let's go somewhere far
Baby, can we
Where, I don't care

I want to be what he wants
When he wants it and
Whenever he needs it
And when he's lonesome
And feeling love starved
I'll be there to feed it

Loving him a
Little bit more each day
It turns me right on
When I hear him say

Hey, baby, let's get away
Let's go somewhere far
Baby, can we
Where, I don't care

Hey, baby, let's get away
Let's go somewhere far
Baby, can we
Where, I don't care

Daydreaming and I'm thinking of you
Daydreaming and I'm thinking of you
Daydreaming and I'm thinking of you
Daydreaming and I'm thinking of you
Look at my heart floating away

Daydreaming, daydreaming of you
Daydreaming, thinking of you.....    

SOURCE:  http://www.top40db.net/Lyrics/?SongID=72043


So I would highly recommend to you intense prayer for the healing of this internal longing, a “brokenness”, that is in you that is rooted in “loneliness” and a “love starved state” to close this “open door” that the demonic realm are taking full advantage, allowing Jesus to fill this void; Jesus is your Husband (as He is mine and all Christians).

I hope this helps in some way.  I will truly pray for you.

Blessings,

JON
 

[me2lord]

Any practical ideas as to what I can do to overcome this???? I want to overcome it but yet I am not sure how......

MY days are spent in a manner that I really am not putting this stuff in my mind any more. I spend most of my days either on These Christian forums, or going out to the shops etc. When I wake up from these dreams I either cry, or I feel sick, or like this morning it's both.

Yes flee in prayer which is what I do, but I need practical suggestions as well here......Otherwise please pray for me and help me as best as you can please?!

Oh, my dear sister,   the battle of fornications in our minds and the world's contribution to be successful in making commercials sinful, cartoons thought promoting sexual things and just about every PG show has sexual content in subtle ways, it is a nightmare. How can one free up their intake of sin in this world we exist in?   not easy, but it can be done.

I have limited myself to the show Family Matters and the Cosby show or the news and even with the News I have to be careful  at times...

The world has made it so we are subjected to lasciviousness and fornications through TV and adultery included as Jesus said if you think it then you are guilty of it..and this is promoted in the shows we watch.   It is horrible.

I had to cut all this out and I am married...because it makes me sinful if indulged in.   One has to go back to remembering that Moses when he  was drunk his sons walked in backwards to cover him.humility was there...our living today shows no humility towards the naked body, but  how advanced sin easily comes in our society today  and is accepted as normal, it is NOT RIGHT WITH GOD, and  never has been.

You are right in fighting it by going to the stores shopping, monitoring what you're  watching on TV, though the commercials are just awful with  things like Victoria Secrets advertising and the Hane's men boxers  are JUST WRONG"  both of them..so TV is a tool of the Devils to bring us to sin against God.   Being  aware of it helps so much in the battle to come out of sin.

My heart goes out to you because I had the battle you have about 25 yrs ago, and I have had to guard myself to this day and it is an ongoing battle not to get caught in that trap again because our environment promotes it so easily...a death trap waiting to take us.

Prayer and fasting shows the Lord your sorry for this happening and in need of his helping you and by this he knows your sincere.   Ask for wisdom and discernment in dealing with this sin because without this help I could not make it out into safety.

I believe sexual sin is the worst, sin that pulls against the flesh.  This one we have to fight and become successful in because the Holy Spirit is housed in our body and we have become the temple of the living God (I Cor 3:16-17) and the Lord says if we destroy this body by this act he will destroy us.  

I would like to comment that the Lord was patient with me and over many yrs I fought it before it was conquered so, my encouragement is the Lord sees your struggle and will help you but you have to be true to heart in the matter.   I found that when I drank liquor I fell into sin easily. So, I quit drinking and going to places that this would happen.  

 The next day I would be so loathing of myself that I had done this,  so it is a battle and with us all, but Christ to help us overcome and we will make it out as long as there is true desire too.  lol

Find the things that promotes and offsets this behavior,  which it sounds like you have for the most part, but apparently  you are still being  fed these things subtly  because you are dreaming of them..something is promoting that.   Ask God to reveal it to you so you can push that away from you, because he will help you.  

As the Lord sees you have stopped many things from the past and are trying to overcome sin now so don't give up, but realize it is Satan trying to entice you back into living in this sin and the pulls of Satan are very strong,  but through Christ it can be overcome.   These times we are living in are horrible in sexual sin being  promoted  in us all, so my heart goes out to you in this matter.

Maybe reading the bible before you go to sleep will  help in this matter.   Keep praying and seeking the Lord in his showing you how to overcome it and to reveal it to you what brings this out in you, Christ will show you because the Lord wants you to overcome this sin, most of all because this is where he dwells in the body which is the temple of God.   Music may be the culprit that brings these things to you at night, as suggested, just keep seeking the Lord to reveal what makes this happen at night in your dreams so it can be stopped he will help you, and read that bible at night till you get ready to fall asleep...this will help for sure...lol  

In Christ's love
Vickie

  





  

[RoseofSharon]

  Thank you soooooooo much guys.

Where to begin........

MY word , you sure hit the nail on the head with that song. Just the thought of most of what you were saying made me feel sick, yet it struck such a cord inside me as well. Wow. I don't really know how to put into words,what I'm thinking and feeling right now.

Vickie I'll come back to your post later once I've processed all this I think.

  I don't know what I expected, but certainly it was not this.........

[tsth]

Guys,

If I might make a suggestion, for the benefit of others, we might be cautious about the explicitness of our posts.  Even though it is conveying clarity, it may be too "clear" in regard to bringing to mind things that shouldn't be.  If that makes sense.  Please pray about these things, and consider what may or may not be appropriate with regard to our posts and the images that are recalled by them.  Sometimes, less is better.     I would hope that our posts don't foster more images as we are in battle against sins that begin in mind/thoughts. 

In His Love,
Suzanne

[RoseofSharon]

Suzanne that was what I was trying to do when I phrased mine the way I did. I don't know about anyone else here, but unfortunately I am blessed (or cursed) with a very vivid imagination, so I am very cautious as to how I phrase things so as to get the gist over but not encourage such images. I will say I'm sorry if what I posted was too explicit, or has caused others to sin in anyway....

[RoseofSharon]

As the Lord sees you have stopped many things from the past and are trying to overcome sin now so don't give up, but realize it is Satan trying to entice you back into living in this sin and the pulls of Satan are very strong,  but through Christ it can be overcome.   These times we are living in are horrible in sexual sin being  promoted  in us all, so my heart goes out to you in this matter.

Maybe reading the bible before you go to sleep will  help in this matter.   Keep praying and seeking the Lord in his showing you how to overcome it and to reveal it to you what brings this out in you, Christ will show you because the Lord wants you to overcome this sin, most of all because this is where he dwells in the body which is the temple of God.   Music may be the culprit that brings these things to you at night, as suggested, just keep seeking the Lord to reveal what makes this happen at night in your dreams so it can be stopped he will help you, and read that bible at night till you get ready to fall asleep...this will help for sure...

The story of the rich young ruler keeps coming to mind - all these things I have done since my youth up. I suppose in a way that's how I feel a bit here as most of the suggestions that have been given are things that I have done since I was a child, and although I know they help, I also have not found that they prevent either.

If my music is the culprit then I may as well give up now lol! I only listen or play hymns or worship music now. I gave all secular/pop/country etc up a while ago, and burnt the lot of it last nov!!

I will be praying as to where the open door is though, as that too needs to be closed!