This is one of the most important and practical questions anyone can ask. You are asking how to find freedom from a harmful practice, and Ellen G. White wrote extensively on this very topic. Her counsel is not based on mere willpower, but on a divine power that is available to everyone who truly desires it.
Her entire message on this subject can be summarized in one foundational principle: **You cannot overcome this by yourself, but through the power of Christ, victory is absolutely certain.**
Here is a step-by-step guide based on her writings on how to stop the practice and get the help you need.
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### The Foundational Principle: You Cannot Save Yourself
The first step is to completely abandon the idea that you can win this fight through your own strength or willpower. This is the most common mistake and the reason for repeated failure.
> <span class="unverified-quote">"You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can **choose** to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ." </span> <span class="quote-warning">⚠️ Reference could not be verified</span>**(Steps to Christ, p. 47)** ⚠️ Reference could not be verified
Victory does not begin with your strength, but with your **choice** and your **surrender.**
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### How to Stop This Practice: The Practical Steps
#### Step 1: Make a Definite, Unreserved Decision (The Power of the Will)
The battle is won or lost in the mind. You must make a firm, settled decision that you want to be free, and you must give God permission to do whatever it takes to make you free. Your will is the one thing God will not force.
> <span class="unverified-quote">"What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. ... You are not able, of yourself, to bring your purposes, desires, and inclinations into submission to the will of God; but if you are **'willing to be made willing,'** God will accomplish the work for you." </span> <span class="quote-warning">⚠️ Reference could not be verified</span>**(Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 513)** ⚠️ Reference could not be verified
**How to do it:** In a moment of prayer, say to God, "Lord, I am willing to be made willing. I choose to be free. I give you my will. Please take it and work in me."
⚠️ Reference could not be verified#### Step 2: Stop Looking at Your Weakness and Look to Christ's Strength
Do not dwell on the magnitude of your sin or your repeated failures. This only leads to discouragement. Instead, look away from yourself and fix your eyes on Christ and His perfect victory. His victory is counted as your victory.
> <span class="unverified-quote">"The victory that He won in the wilderness is a pledge of our victory over the enemy. ... We are to overcome as Christ overcame. He overcame through the word of God. He said, 'It is written.' And to us are given 'exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.'" </span> <span class="quote-warning">⚠️ Reference could not be verified</span>**(The Desire of Ages, p. 123, 126)** ⚠️ Reference could not be verified
**How to do it:** When tempted, do not argue with the temptation. Immediately turn your thoughts to a promise from the Bible (like 1 Corinthians 10:13 or Philippians 4:13) and claim Christ's strength.
#### Step 3: Starve the Habit by Guarding Your Mind (Guard the Avenues of the Soul)
You cannot continue to expose yourself to the things that trigger the habit and expect to be free. You must make a conscious decision to cut off every avenue through which temptation enters. This means being ruthless about what you watch, what you read, what you listen to, and where you go.
> <span class="unverified-quote">"We cannot be too guarded against the first approach to sin. ... Those who would not fall a prey to Satan's devices must guard well the avenues of the soul; they must avoid reading, seeing, or hearing that which suggests impure thoughts." </span> <span class="quote-warning">⚠️ Reference could not be verified</span>**(Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 460)** ⚠️ Reference could not be verified
**How to do it:** Identify your triggers and remove them. Delete the apps, block the websites, end the relationships, throw away the materials. This is a practical act of war against the enemy.
#### Step 4: Fill the Mind with Good Things (The Law of Replacement)
It is not enough to simply empty the mind of evil; you must actively fill it with good. The mind cannot remain empty. If you do not fill it with heavenly thoughts, the enemy will fill it with worldly ones.
> <span class="unverified-quote">"By beholding we become changed. As we meditate upon the perfections of the divine Saviour, we shall desire to be wholly transformed and renewed in the image of His purity. There will be a hungering and thirsting of soul to become like Him whom we adore." </span> <span class="quote-warning">⚠️ Reference could not be verified</span>**(Steps to Christ, p. 71)** ⚠️ Reference could not be verified
**How to do it:** Spend time every day reading the Bible, especially the life of Christ. Memorize scripture. Listen to sacred music. Read uplifting books. Talk about spiritual things. Force your mind onto a new track.
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### How to Get Help
You are not meant to fight this battle alone.
#### 1. The Ultimate Help: The Holy Spirit
Your primary source of help is God Himself, through the Holy Spirit. This is why a daily connection is not optional; it is your lifeline.
> <span class="unverified-quote">"**Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work.** Let your prayer be, 'Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine. I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.' This is a daily matter." </span> <span class="quote-warning">⚠️ Reference could not be verified</span>**(Steps to Christ, p. 70)** ⚠️ Reference could not be verified
#### 2. The Human Help: A Trusted Friend or Mentor
Ellen G. White strongly advocated for the power of Christian fellowship. Find one trusted, spiritually mature Christian friend to whom you can be accountable. Do not share your struggle widely, but find one person who can pray for you and with you.
> <span class="unverified-quote">"There is wonderful strength and encouragement for us in the fellowship of those who love God and the truth. ... By speaking words of hope and courage, we may be a strength to one another." (Adapted from **Gospel Workers, p. 499**)</span> <span class="quote-warning">⚠️ Reference could not be verified</span> ⚠️ Reference could not be verified
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### What to Do When You Fall
You may fall. The process of sanctification is the work of a lifetime. Do not give up in despair. The moment you fall, do not lie there in guilt. Get up immediately and run back to Christ.
> <span class="unverified-quote">"If you are overcome, do not delay to repent and to accept the pardon that is offered. ... Satan will try to separate you from God; but you must not permit him to do so. ... Even if we are overcome by the enemy, we are not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God." </span> <span class="quote-warning">⚠️ Reference could not be verified</span>**(Steps to Christ, p. 64)** ⚠️ Reference could not be verified
### Summary Table: The Two Methods
| The Wrong Method (Relying on Self) | The Right Method (Relying on Christ) |
| :--- | :--- |
| **Source of Power:** My own willpower and resolutions. | **Source of Power:** Christ's victory and the Holy Spirit. |
| **Focus:** "I must try harder. I must stop this." | **Focus:** "Christ has already won. I will trust Him." |
| **Response to Temptation:** Arguing with it, fighting it in my own strength. | **Response to Temptation:** Immediately looking away to Christ and His promises. |
| **View of Failure:** "I am a failure. There is no hope." | **View of Failure:** "I have fallen, but my Advocate, Jesus, will forgive and restore me." ⚠️ Reference could not be verified|
| **Result:** A cycle of failure, guilt, and despair. | **Result:** A progressive journey of victory, freedom, and peace. |
Do not be discouraged. The desire you have for freedom is a gift from God. He who began this good work in you will be faithful to complete it.