I remember some time ago, going to a beach with a bunch of Christian men, whereupon one of the guys, encouraging us all to purity, said, "Remember guys, every woman here is a temple of the Holy Spirit."  Then another said jokingly, "Wow, check out that temple."  We laughed, yet knew the truth of the first man's words.  Purity begins with the heart (and especially for men, also with the eyes).  Jesus says, "What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles; for out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander" (Matthew 15:18-19).  If we wish to become pure, we must learn to fight temptations, right within us.  They come from three sources:  the devil, our fleshy desires, and worldly influences around us.  Nevertheless, it is the "will," or what the ancients would call our "heart" (our center), which must decide to resist.  Learning to say no to lust, is a repeated battle& a war, but we can grow in strength over time, and then we will know Jesus' words, "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).
     Several factors may contribute to an individual's struggle with masturbation:  e.g., lust, pornography, loss of hope, loneliness, great stress, or other wounds in life, such as sexual abuse.  God wants to heal our pains, strengthen our weak knees, and bring us to true freedom.  This takes time, prayer and patience.  It should be said that one who struggles with a pattern of masturbation, because they seek a hedonistic lifestyle is very different from one who wishes to be pleasing to God, but fails out of weakness.  The former needs conversion at a basic level, while the latter possesses goodness and spiritual aspirations, but needs time and God's help to overcome.  This person can feel a lot of shame and discouragement when they fail.  But think about a loving father, who deals with a child making a mistake out of weakness.  Our heavenly Father longs to shower us with tender mercy, encourage us to continue loving, and leads us to wholeness.
     There are certain practices, which must be in place, if a person wants to achieve freedom from a habit of masturbation.  First, one must practice daily prayer:  try to pray for at least 15 minutes (or half hour) every day, and commit to a certain time of the day.  Second, receive the sacraments:  going to confession and receiving the Eucharist more frequently are like lifting weights, only here we are building spiritual muscles.  Third, and this is absolutely crucial, one must come into the light!  If one keeps any sinful pattern hidden in darkness, freedom will not be attained.  Satan desires this.  So we must confess to someone:  e.g. a priest, a counselor, a trusted friend.  Fourth, to achieve self-control in the areas of sexuality (one might consider other bad habits as well), it is helpful to