How to stop the cycle ✋🏽

Good evening, brothers and sisters. I come here today to share my story and, if possible, to help someone who is going through the same struggles I went through. Well, I was addicted to p*** since I was 10 years old, and today I am 20. At first, everything seemed harmless. I didn’t realize the damage it would cause to my life, just as many others probably didn’t either. I grew up with this addiction, and it only got worse. I remember borrowing money from my parents, lying and saying it was for something else, when in reality, I was going to buy subscriptions to adult websites or OnlyFans models. I remember spending 30 minutes in the bathroom during my shower, scrolling through adult sites, looking for a video of some woman to satisfy me in that moment—all for a few seconds of pleasure, only to feel like garbage afterward. Yet, I did this every day, over and over again. And when I felt bad, I’d do it again because I felt bad. It just kept getting worse and destroying me from the inside. This addiction affected my relationships with my parents, my friends, and Jesus Christ. It impacted my work, my school, and many other areas of my life. I fell into depression for several years, and my anxiety only worsened. I even used p*** to help me sleep when I had insomnia, but it never helped—it only made things worse. I started therapy, but nothing seemed to work. I remember praying and praying, asking Jesus Christ to help me, but it always felt like something was missing. I lost all my friendships because this addiction socially isolates you from people. I lost my job, and I even lost the will to live. I was unrecognizable! It was then that I decided to pray to Jesus Christ again and ask for His help. I don’t know if you all here are Christians or not, but I need to say this anyway. I’m learning that this addiction is something that only harms you. “Yeah, I already know that.” Sure, you know it, but you don’t walk away! At the end of the day, you go back to it. “So how do I stop?” First step: Repent of your sin. Repent for doing this, and ask Jesus Christ for forgiveness. Second step: FLEE! (1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Timothy 6:11, 2 Timothy 2:22). Third step: STOP FIGHTING. Guys, WE DON’T HAVE THE STRENGTH TO FIGHT THIS. YOU WILL FALL, YOU WILL SLIP UP IF YOU TRY TO FIGHT IT. WE ARE ONLY HUMAN! “So how do I overcome this if I can’t fight it?” REMEMBER THE SECOND STEP? FLEE! “But flee to where?” Flee to God. Read the Bible, pray, rebuke it in the name of Jesus Christ, ask Him for help. Occupy your mind with other things. Whenever you think about it or feel like slipping, FLEE. Start doing something else immediately—do push-ups, go outside for a run, go be around your parents, start exercising, eat something, drink water, do breathing exercises, read the Bible. The Bible teaches us exactly this: Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Jesus Christ also tells us that if our eye causes us to sin, we should pluck it out, and if our hand causes us to sin, we should cut it off. “But what does that mean?” It means you need to identify your triggers. What is causing you to sin? What is fueling those triggers? Brothers, it’s not always explicit things like Instagram showing women with amazing bodies in revealing clothes. Sometimes it can be a simple inappropriate conversation with a friend, a wrong look at a woman or man, or even a song with a subliminal message. So, just cut it off, destroy it, flee! Stop watching videos that manipulate you into staying in this addiction. Stop watching movies that stimulate you, stop listening to certain music, and get off Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok. Start consuming content that adds value to your life. Feel DISGUST for this stuff. Feel DISGUST for being a “addict.” Remember, the devil is a liar. DEMONS ARE LIARS. They deceive you, and they deceived me many times. Often, I would see a beautiful woman on the street and think, “See? You’ve already committed adultery, so it won’t make a difference if you go back to it.” “See? You can’t overcome this; you’ve already sinned again.” THE DEVIL LIES. Don’t believe his lies. He tries to deceive you, he tries to tell you that you’ve already sinned, that you’ll never break free, that your prayers have no effect. Instead of believing his lies when you start to slip, apologize to Jesus Christ and keep moving forward. Keep looking ahead. You only lose when you give up. Thinking about doing wrong is not the same as actually doing wrong. Yes, thinking about it is a sin, but if you give in, it’s even worse. So don’t give up! Don’t believe the devil’s lies. Remember, he is the father of lies, and he only comes to KILL, STEAL, and DESTROY. Addiction wants to take away the most important things in your life. It wants to separate you from your family, friends, hobbies, work, and the things you love and that are important to you. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years? And what are you doing to make that happen? In the beginning, it’s hard, brothers. In the beginning, it’s not easy. As I said, I was an addict. I would sleep and have erotic dreams. Often, I couldn’t even sleep, tossing and turning in bed because I couldn’t keep depending on this. Today, I’ve completely changed my life. I’ve grown closer to my family, distanced myself from friendships that influenced me to sin, and cut out anything that encouraged me to go back, like social media. I’ve also picked up new hobbies like exercising, taking care of myself, learning new languages, practicing self-defense, reading the Bible, and listening to the Gospel. The Bible teaches us in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10: “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.” This community is exactly that. We are united with a purpose that is worth fighting for. The Bible also says in Hebrews 12:11: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” So, even though it seems difficult, we must resist, flee from sin, and take refuge in Jesus Christ. I want to invite everyone to join me in a purpose. Every day at 7 PM, we will pray this prayer, at least in thought if you can’t do it in your room with the door closed: “Lord Jesus Christ, I ask for forgiveness for my sins, and I thank You for strengthening me and lifting me up with Your mighty right hand. Lord Jesus Christ, fight my battles, help me break free from this addiction, and help all my brothers and sisters who are praying this prayer. Strengthen us and teach us to rejoice in Your Word. Fill our days with true happiness and our minds with Your love. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit and renew us every day, for we are weak and depend on Your power and care. Only You can set us free. Fight for us and strengthen us every day, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.” I’ve already said my prayer. You don’t have to pray exactly like this—it’s just an example. God seeks sincerity and genuine worship, not rituals. Speak from your heart. Pray for strength, and ask your brothers and sisters who are on this journey with you to help you break free from this addiction. Together, my friends, we will rise, and we will help each other if one of us falls. May Jesus Christ bless each one of you. Remember, nothing is impossible for God. You just need to love Jesus Christ more than you love your sins.