(Part 2) Best products from r/NoFapChristians

Yeah, it's pretty good. Basically it is a meditation on the sacrifice of Isaac and Abraham's faith. The first half is very good. You can buy a good edition here and I'm sure the penguin classics edition is good as well. Both have the same number of pages so it is safe to say, if you get one, read at least to page 61.

Everyone has their doubts from time to time. The book of Ecclesiastes, for instance, focuses exclusively on an existential crisis. The author determined that life was meaningless as everything would eventually pass away. If death is inevitable, what then is the point of living?

I'm in no means an expert in apologetics, but I do reccomend that you perhaps study the culturalal contect of the Scriptures. The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible may be of great help. Of course, there are other teachers online who should be just as capable of answering any questions that you may have.

Lastly, when I ever get discouraged, I usually listen to calming music. Two songs that I like in particular are from Tenth Avenue North. They are Beloved, which speaks of Christ's love for the church, and Hold My Heart, which conveys more of what you are experiencing right now.

Whatever you decide, peace be with you.

When you become a man that a woman would want to marry, a man that a father would want his daughter to marry, then you will have no shortage of women to marry.

http://www.amazon.com/What-He-Must-Be-Daughter/dp/1581349300

If God keeps telling you no, then why do you keep asking? Ask not how you can glorify yourself. Ask instead how you can glorify God.

Do you realize that the person you marry should be with whom you can glorify God more fully than you could alone? You need to be the person that can help someone else glorify God! That's a big responsibility. Read that book. Study it. It will help you seek after God's will.

Interesting, I have a NIV Bible that has some factoids and pictures to it which I find helpful, I bought it from amazon. Imo, the pics help to bring the word alive and make it more understandable and enjoyable.

https://www.amazon.com/NIV-QuickView-Bible-Hardcover-Zondervan/dp/0310442303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483928248&sr=8-1&keywords=quick+view+bible

I also bought the related "most fascinating people, events and places from the Bible." Another picture and factoids booklet.

I take my sweet time reading as oposed to rushing, so i suggest taking it slow and if you dont understand a verse, search more info on it.

When I do finish a book from the Bible, I like to watch the youtube summaries from the Bible Project channel:

https://m.youtube.com/user/jointhebibleproject

They really do a great job, check them out!

All in all, it's important to read on God's word and I do agree that Leviticus-numbers-Deuteronomy are very confusing and were hard to get thru, lol. The New Testament is where we should focus the most (Jesus teachings) but its even better to know all of it, I'm currency on 1 Samuel and proverbs, so I take forever to read it, hehe.

Sure. I mean, instead of looking at the Big Bang, I'd direct your research to background radiation. There's some interesting books on cosmology you might tap into. <http://www.amazon.com/Microwave-Background-Radiation-Cambridge-Astrophysics/dp/0521358086> and <http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/astronomy/bigbang.html#evidence> and then <http://www.amazon.com/Cycles-Time-Extraordinary-View-Universe/dp/0307278468/ref=asap_B000AQ045A_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412890592&sr=1-3>. The last book goes even deeper with patterns found within background radiation, Penrose taking this data as evidence that another universe existed before ours. It's really fascinating. I wish I had time to read Penrose's Road to Reality and then this Cycles of Time.

Btw, i'm proud you have left this new-earth Christianity. Of course, you're welcome to believe whatever you want to, but I think we can have more mature discussions since we both appreciate evidence. And also, thank you for not getting defensive about the Big Bang and Evolution. It's really hard to have conversations with Christians about anything related to science! At least for me.

dude Rosary...every single day....seriously. I have done it for the last 19 days now. WOW what a difference in my life! Frequent the saracaments as much as you can. Adoration...my accountability partner has been doing it everyday now and he is blown away by it. you have a lot opportunity at seminary all the weapons you need. get into your bible. Keep that prayer life strong! as a layman believe me I'm praying for you. We need amazing priests! this is very good for the struggle :http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Heart-Overcoming-Habitual-against/dp/0977223450/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418963134&sr=8-1&keywords=clean+of+heart most of all be brave and open to your spiritual director. From what i've been told. You are far from being alone there with PMO issues.

Since I haven’t seen this book recommended yet I feel like this would be an excellent resource for you both. I’m working through this myself and I’ll be going over it again with my wife once I finish.

The Way to Love Your Wife: Creating Greater Love and Passion in the Bedroom (Focus on the Family Books) https://www.amazon.com/dp/158997445X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wxy6BbA3YHJ1A

If you want to know what it’s like for a guy to struggle with lust pick this one up as well.

Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time (The Every Man Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307457974/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9zy6BbJR8SQX5

I would also like to say that you shouldn’t have much to worry about. If your boyfriend is being honest with you about his struggles and if he really wants to get better then he WILL understand when you say you’re not comfortable doing something that he wants to do, wether it’s an idea from porn or not. If you both read the first book together and take notes, discuss personally important chapters, and find a marriage councilor, then you’re setting yourselves up for success.

Ps. I think there’s a companion book for women (for both books) but if I link to to many books someone will start thinking I work for amazon... 😇

I'd have to agree with others in this. Praying the Rosary helps tremendously. I read David N. Calvillo's Real Men Pray the Rosary and took his 33 day challenge of praying the Rosary daily for 33 days. An incredible experience to say the least. Daily time spent with God is a wonderful defense against PMO. And also confession. You can never go enough lol. God speed.

Just offering another opinion... I have read through every mans battle, and I wouldn't recommend it. I wouldn't say its "bad"... but there are other books that are more rich and full.

One being, http://www.amazon.com/Sex-Not-Problem-Lust-Lust-Saturated/dp/1590525191

Anyway, Like the above person said, really pray about telling your wife.

Another good resoure, and woth a listen. (1o minutes long) http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/is-my-husband-s-porn-a-marriage-deal-breaker

Sin was defeated on the Cross by Jesus. So remember, when you fast, it's not to get something but to become someone. Self control is a fruit of the Sprit. Fasting is a powerful tool we have to rid us of the carnal voice in our lives and teach us what Spirit living is. I'd recommend this book- The Complete Guide to Fasting and this is a great message by Dan on fasting and I did a podcast episode on fasting if you'd like something shorter to listen to lol

The short answer is prayer and penance.

Prayer: Try to set God always before your mind. Your mind has been corrupted and only by inviting Him in can it be purified. Also, ask Him for the grace of purification of the memory, as those images you have seen will often be brought into your mind to tempt you. You should also IMMEDIATELY pray anytime you feel even the SLIGHTEST temptation. Become like a baby that cries for their parent at even the smallest disturbance. God doesn't mind, in fact, He wants us to become dependent on Him like little children.

Penance: Basically, porn makes your will very soft and weak, whereas doing penances, even small ones, is like weight lifting for your will. Eat smaller portions /skip meals, eat things you don't like or deny yourself food that you do like, take a cold shower in the morning, cut out or minimize TV / video games, put a pebble in your shoe, make yourself get out of bed instead of snoozing in the morning, etc.. Especially do these things whenever the temptations become strong. Slap yourself in the face if you have to. You need to form the resolve RIGHT NOW that you would rather DIE before falling into sin, because, truthfully, death is a more preferrable thing.

If you are interested in further reading, I would STRONGLY recommend this book: Clean of Heart: Overcoming Habitual Sins Against Purity https://www.amazon.com/dp/1507617518/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_67WQDb1CF8HE4

It sounds like he still has a long way to go, but if he really is getting better, as you say, then I'd say he definitely loves you. If he didn't, there wouldn't be much incentive for him to (try to) give up pornography or masturbation. So that's good.

One thing he definitely needs to work on is thoughtful communication with you. Lying to you, whether about using pornography at all or about the reasons for his ED, is not helping. Does he know about your struggle with an eating disorder? The health of your body image is crucial, and he should be making every effort to respect that.

He needs to be kicking his PMO habit, which--trust me--has nothing at all to do with you. It's not your fault. It never was. It never will be. That's his problem, he needs to own it, and if he ever blames you for it, know that he's either wrong or lying. You never make him sin; that's on him entirely.

One thing that might help your communication (it helped my and my wife's communication a lot, both when we were dating and a few years into our marriage when we felt we needed a refresher) are the books For Men Only and For Women Only (available as a two-volume set here). (Point of order: I haven't read the "revised and updated" version, but the originals were very illuminating when it came to our communication.)

This isn't a problem that goes away overnight, unfortunately. Marriage doesn't fix it (he probably expected it to before you got married). Even if he's trying his damnedest, he'll likely still have struggles. The hard part, for you, is that it means he'll need lots of forgiveness--not leeway, but forgiveness.

If he's not really trying, he needs someone to hold him accountable. That doesn't have to be you, and I understand if you don't think it can be you (for whatever reason). But find a friend of his that will talk to him, or your pastor, or someone, because he needs help (even if he won't admit it).

It is very easy to feel close to someone you are being physically intimate with. In fact its the easiest form of intimacy to develop. You are designed to feel close to someone due to touch. If you want to read about it get this book https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Levels-Intimacy-Loving-Being-ebook/dp/B011JL7560/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1539485871&sr=8-1&keywords=7+levels+of+intimacy+matthew+kelly

I can only tell you that the Bible says "Its good not to touch a woman" in I Corinthians 7:1. Personally I think your playing with fire, and the director does not care as long as he gets the good product of your acting. I think you are playing with fire because your intimacy is almost all physical, and you think you are developing intellectual intimacy because you are both so focused on the play, but you are not developing any emotional or spiritual intimacy.

Simply put you are developing almost exclusively the easiest intimacy to develop while not developing the much more difficult types of intimacy. This is probably going to end poorly for you and her.

I would highly highly recommend talking with your pastor.

Not really on topic as far as this subreddit goes, but read this book!. It's reeeeally good and I think it will speak directly to your background. It's the first thing I thought of when I saw the title of your post. I follow the author and his podcast and he is an incredible resource for those who have been atheists. Or if you don't read the book just listen to him on The Liturgists :)

My favorite book to recommend is Wild at Heart. It is all about what drives men to do the things they do. For me it really gave me a good look at how I view my own masculinity and the ways I try and prove myself to others. It has really helped me understand my addiction and issues.

Prayers, lean on the Lord!

Here is the mobile version of your link