How to achieve a TRUE repentance...

Anthonypk7

I want to ask you all how can someone achieve a repentance for a sin that is super hard to stop ( you guys probably know which sin Im talking about  :-[ ). I'm confessing almost every week about the sins I commit, I pray every day like 10 times for God to stand by me and help me stop the sin, but I end up stopping for a week or 2 and then returning to the sin  :'( I really want help guys, how can I achieve a true repentance from the sin I'm committing, never returning to it again ????

abrahamf

I really like this prayer:

"What am I? Upon the one side sin, an abyss of sin, all opposition to my God, the Creator and Worker of everything, deserving of every condemnation and torment; upon the other, entire poverty in every virtue and infirmity for every virtue. So deeply have I fallen and become corrupt and impotent. Without my Savior I can do nothing in accordance with His Word and in accordance with mine own innumerable experiences. He has created me, soul and body; He has reared me; He has educated my faculties; He still continues to accomplish everything that is good within me if I do anything good, whilst I of myself am only evil. But, my Creator and my Redeemer, Thou has created me; I am Thy creature, Thy servant. Direct me and fulfill Thy will through me. Grant me Thy grace, that I may entirely subdue my will to Thy will, for I cannot do this without Thy grace. Thou, my Shepherd, pasture me. Thou, my Savior, save me. Thou, my light, enlighten me. Thou, my strength, strengthen me.

O infinitely great Benefactor, my Savior! When I represent to myself the infinite corruption of my nature by manifold sins and passions, my spirit is despondent and downcast, but as soon as I remember Thee, that Thou camest to renew my nature, corrupted by sin, and to bestow upon my dishonor, upon my shame, the nobility of the angels, and even a still higher nobility than that of the angels, the nobility of the Son of God Himself, through faith in Thee, through regeneration by water and the Spirit, and through the communion of Thy Holy Sacrament, then my spirit instantaneously rises up from its despondency, shakes off the infamy of the passions, and is wholly filled with gratitude to Thee. Glory to Thee, O infinite Mercy and Power, Son of God!

+ St. John of Kronstadt +


"Repentance is the renewal of baptism. Repentance is a contract
with God for a second life. A penitent is a buyer of humility.
Repentance is constant distrust of bodily comfort. Repentance is
self-condemning reflection, and carefree self-care. Repentance is
the daughter of hope and the renunciation of despair. A penitent
is an undisgraced convict. Repentance is reconciliation with the
Lord by the practice of good deeds contrary to the sins.
Repentance is purification of conscience. Repentance is the
voluntary endurance of all afflictions. A penitent is the
inflicter of his own punishments. Repentance is a mighty
persecution of the stomach, and a striking of the soul into
vigorous awareness."

+ St. John Climacus +

He also goes on to speak about chastity.

"He who drives away this dog by prayer is like someone fighting with a lion; he who subdues it by his resistance is someone still pursuing his enemy; but he who has once for all reduced its assault to nothing, even though he is still in the flesh, is as one who has already risen from his coffin.

If a sign of true purity is to be unmoved by dreams during sleep, then it is certainly a mark of sensuality to be subject to emissions from [impure] thoughts when awake.

He who fights this adversary by bodily hardship and sweat is like one who has tied his foe with a string.  But he who opposes him by temperance, sleeplessness and vigil is like one who puts a yoke on him.  He who opposes him by humility, calmness  and thirst is like one who has killed his enemy and hidden him in the sand.  And by sand, I mean humility, because it produces no fodder for the passions, but is mere earth and ashes.

One keeps this tyrant bound by struggles, another by humility, and another by Divine revelation.  The first resembles the morning star, the second the full moon, and the third the blazing sun; and they all have their conversation in Heaven.  But from the dawn comes light, and in the light the sun rises.  So too from what has been said, we can reflect and find this in our own experience.

A fox pretends to be asleep, and the body and demons pretend to be chaste; the former in order to deceive a bird, and the latter in order to destroy a soul.

Throughout your life, do not trust your body, and do not rely on it till you stand before Christ.  Do not trust that because of abstinence you will not fall.  One who has never eaten was cast from Heaven."

Anthonypk7

This really helps :) since you understand the sin im talking about, how can I not return to it again. As mentioned by someone else on the forums, it is "the hardest sin to stop" .

elsi70x7

When u feel the urge to sin pray the Lord's prayer, holy Virgin St. Mary prayer etc.  Pray earnestly and fervently and before u even realize; u will have forgotten about the sin, that seemed to be consuming u before!

TITL

ilovesaintmark

Tears and compunction.

George_Mina_Awad

[quote author=TITL link=topic=12355.msg145534#msg145534 date=1317651638]



Amazing.

joekeliny

Dont Worry. I dealt with the exact same situation as  you. Everything will be ok. Think of the greater prize and what were working towards. Meditate on a picture of Jesus on the cross. Also, if you ever had a patron saint, watch his movie. If you dont have their movie then just go to copticme.com and watch their movie.

dzheremi

When I was in Oregon a few years ago, at the end of my being Roman Catholic but not sure what to do about that, I found this sermon with translation and fell in love immediately with HH. I still feel that way when I listen to it, or any of his other sermons. :) And it is still the best advice on achieving true repentance that I can think of. Live what HH says and you will never have to worry about finding true repentance.

[quote author=TITL link=topic=12355.msg145534#msg145534 date=1317651638]