"Don't think of ____."

[thunderfree]

I'm having trouble with lust right now, since my friend (a girl) mentioned her swimsuit at a horribly weak time for me in that area of my life, and now I can't get those sorts of images out of my head, even though it was just a passing comment! >.< It's coming in with a sort of "Don't think of snakes. Big, writhing, poisonous snakes," strategy, where I always think about it when I try to get it out.
Please pray for my mind to blank or be filled with something healthy next times, and of course for strength when some girl's actually in front of me.  

[Call Me Apple]

I applaud you for trying to get past lust. You wont ALWAYS be able to fight off the thoughts, but when something like that happens, do a 360 degree topic change and get your mind on something else.  

[Shadows-shine]

Call Me Apple

I applaud you for trying to get past lust. You wont ALWAYS be able to fight off the thoughts, but when something like that happens, do a 360 degree topic change and get your mind on something else.

Excellent advice. Couldn't have said it better. 3nodding  

[Lazarus The Resurected]

Ever Servant

I'm having trouble with lust right now, since my friend (a girl) mentioned her swimsuit at a horribly weak time for me in that area of my life, and now I can't get those sorts of images out of my head, even though it was just a passing comment! >.< It's coming in with a sort of "Don't think of snakes. Big, writhing, poisonous snakes," strategy, where I always think about it when I try to get it out.
Please pray for my mind to blank or be filled with something healthy next times, and of course for strength when some girl's actually in front of me.

I'll never get why you people try and avoid the second most powerful and deeply engrained instinct that human beings have, rather than embracing it. but that's another topic.
My advice would normaly be get her in that swimsuit, find a private place and (I'm going to stop this here before you're head spontaniously explodes) .
Let's try this though. tell her what you're thinking about the two of you may fid a way to work through it. Lets face it, she's a friend and you're attracted to her. you could ruin your friendship by rushing into anything or by avoiding her and her hotness all summer. anopther option wouldbe to just picture you're grandma in said swimsuit.  

[thunderfree]

Call Me Apple

I applaud you for trying to get past lust. You wont ALWAYS be able to fight off the thoughts, but when something like that happens, do a 360 degree topic change and get your mind on something else.

Thanks. It's been a battle all my life, and it's just recently come back, and I've been convicted to get rid of it once and for all.
Thank you for the advice. It's good for it to just come from someone else besides my own logic.

Lazarus The Resurected

My advice would normaly be get her in that swimsuit, find a private place and (I'm going to stop this here before you're head spontaniously explodes) .

...I would say "no comment," but I just did. -_-;

Lazarus The Resurected

Let's try this though. tell her what you're thinking about the two of you may find a way to work through it. Lets face it, she's a friend and you're attracted to her. you could ruin your friendship by rushing into anything or by avoiding her and her hotness all summer. anopther option wouldbe to just picture you're grandma in said swimsuit.

@Everyone (not just Lazarus): I have tried talking to her about it, and how it distracts me and I'd rather she not mention that sort of thing and others stuff, but she doesn't like any conversation about her to be too heavy, so she never listens and is constantly trying to change the subject.
About "avoiding her and her hotness all summer," I normally don't go to pools or waterparks anyway--I can't stand them for some reason.  

[Matt Pniewski]

It happens. Are brains are wired to think of people this way. Don't like like being aroused by the opposite sex is a one way trip to hell.

I LOVE seeing my girl dressed sexy. Nothing wrong with that. A little blue skin paint, some pointed ears..... Yeah, I should stop before EVERYONES head explodes. Point is, this how we work. Like most intelligent creatures, we are wired to find other members of our species attractive.


The only problem here? Your human. I highly doubt your constantly in the bathroom pleasuring yourself to the image. So let yourself at least be attracted.If you didn't have thoughts like that, if people didn't have thoughts like that at all, we'd probably be unable to procreate. It's how we are hard wired.

I mean, you have the self control to not act on impulses, or cheat on your lover, ect. Thats what you should worry about. if you don't obsess over "Hey, my friend looks good in a swimsuit" your not really giving in.


Now, if you want to go on fighting a chemical process in your brain like you seem to, I suggest medication. Because trust me, that's the only way to be done with it. Or Brain Surgery. We don't have control over these things. Deal with it.  

[thunderfree]

Um... thanks. I could use prayer too.  

[Matt Pniewski]

Ever Servant

Um... thanks. I could use prayer too.

You call it prayer, I call it tricking yourself. Pretty much, you are making yourself associate something with something else, which makes your brain not desire something. There is no prayer involved in this action.


Essentially, that would be giving God credit for you hacking your own brain. Don't do that.


Why you would fight your own self is beyond me. Sins are forgiven because we humans are imperfect. If we could be as pure as you are trying to become, Christ never had to get up on the cross at all did he?  

[thunderfree]

Just because I can never become perfect doesn't mean I shouldn't try to get better.  

[Call Me Apple]

Ever Servant

Just because I can never become perfect doesn't mean I shouldn't try to get better.

I totally agree.

God loves those who restrain.  

[Matt Pniewski]

Ever Servant

Just because I can never become perfect doesn't mean I shouldn't try to get better.

No, but you should choose your battles more wisely.  

[Lazarus The Resurected]

Matt Pniewski

Why you would fight your own self is beyond me. Sins are forgiven because we humans are imperfect. If we could be as pure as you are trying to become, Christ never had to get up on the cross at all did he?

that was borderline Satanic Matt.  

[The Amazing Ryuu]

Lazarus The Resurected

Matt Pniewski

Why you would fight your own self is beyond me. Sins are forgiven because we humans are imperfect. If we could be as pure as you are trying to become, Christ never had to get up on the cross at all did he?

that was borderline Satanic Matt.

And also the real core of Christianity. Curious, isn't it? wink  

[zz1000zz]

The Amazing Ryuu

Lazarus The Resurected

Matt Pniewski

Why you would fight your own self is beyond me. Sins are forgiven because we humans are imperfect. If we could be as pure as you are trying to become, Christ never had to get up on the cross at all did he?

that was borderline Satanic Matt.

And also the real core of Christianity. Curious, isn't it? wink

I don't get how what he said is Christian at all. It is possible I am misreading something, but this:

Matt Pniewski

Why you would fight your own self is beyond me. Sins are forgiven because we humans are imperfect.

Sounds like, "Why bother trying not to sin since all sins are forgiven?" That directly contradicts the nature of repentance, meaning the premise of the question is untrue.

In other words, sins aren't forgiven if you never try to avoid them.  

[zz1000zz]

More on topic, I have to ask a question. Why are you wanting to avoid sexual thoughts? I ask this because many people try to avoid "sins" which are not sins. Much of what people "know" of Christianity is inaccurate, and many wrong decisions have been made because of this.

While many people view Jesus's remarks in chapter five of Matthew as condemning all sorts of sexual thoughts, I can't see why that would be true. The Greek word translated into "lust" is one of many examples of translations causing confusion, as the original Greek word is quite different from what we know as "lust."

I would argue Jesus's remarks on adultery have been grossly exaggerated in order to condemn behavior he never sought to condemn. The same can be observed with numerous other biblical passages, so it is hardly surprising.