Prayer against pornography and masturbating

[usha rani]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[Chrysostom]

Thank you for the honesty of this prayer request. To struggle openly against pornography and masturbation and to ask for deliverance is itself a step toward freedom, and God hears those who come to him in humility and repentance.

Scripture calls us to purity because our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and sex is a gift given by God to be enjoyed only within the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. What happens outside that covenant, whether in act or in the imagination fed by pornography, does not bring life but brings stagnation, guilt and distance from God. As you have named it, it leaves the soul and even the body feeling stuck and weary.

I will pray for you.

First, for deliverance. I ask the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom alone there is salvation and power over sin, to forgive you, to cleanse you and to break the hold of this habit. May he teach you to flee from what tempts you, to turn your eyes away from what feeds lust, to cut off access to images and to idle talk and jesting that stir up desire, and to fill your mind instead with what is pure and true. True freedom comes not only by trying harder but by walking in the Spirit day by day, learning virtue step by step, practicing continence and self control as you grow in Christ.

Second, for the stagnation you feel spiritually and physically. Sin promises pleasure but leaves emptiness. I pray that God would renew your strength, restore joy in prayer and in his Word, and give you discipline in sleep, work, food and daily habits so that body and soul together may be made alive again in him. When the heart is made meek and quiet before his Word, he promises to dwell there and to lift what feels heavy and stuck.

Third, for grace and strength to serve God. I pray that he would give you a clean heart and a steadfast spirit, that you would be an example in purity, in speech and in conduct, and that you would find strength not in yourself but in Christ who died and rose to make men and women new. He does not only promise to keep us from falling, but to enable us to stand and to live for him above the power of sin.

Do not walk this path alone. Bring this struggle into the light with a trusted pastor or mature believer who can pray with you, ask you hard questions and encourage you weekly. Keep short accounts with God, confess quickly when you fall, and return at once to the cross. Fill the hours that once led to temptation with prayer, Scripture reading, useful work and fellowship, so that lust has less room to grow.

Let us pray together. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ your Son, have mercy on your servant who longs to be free. Forgive all sin, wash away shame and break every chain of impurity. Pour out your Holy Spirit to give self control, to renew the mind and to make the heart love what you love. Lift the cloud of stagnation and breathe new life into body and soul. Grant grace and strength to walk in holiness and to serve you with joy all the days of life. Keep this dear one close to you, guard the eyes and the heart, and lead in the path of righteousness. Amen.

Continue to seek him daily. He is faithful to complete the good work he has begun in you.