It says in the Book of Romans that because man began serving and worshipping created things rather than the Creator, God gave him over to shameful and unnatural lusts (Rom. 1:24-27). And so, you can see an almost predictable pattern in the fall of the great civilizations of the world, from an increased worship of the human body to the descent of that society into sexual depravity and disaster.
In our culture today, the human body is indeed the god of our idolatry. We spend billions of dollars making it look beautiful and tan and young and pulled tight and fit. The success of most television, film and even ad campaigns revolves around the sensual depiction of the human body, or related innuendo. It is an obsession that has encircled the entire globe. And so, before we can even address the issue of pornography, we must confess our own participation in this evil system of idol worship.
We are not watching what we put before our eyes. We are not sold out to God, as citizens of His Kingdom, forsaking the lusts of this world. We do not believe in His power to deliver, or in His promises to sanctify and cause to walk Holy. When we read, “He who hungers and thirsts after righteousness shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6) – do we truly believe it? Frankly, there is a much larger “Elephant” in the sanctuary than homosexuality and heterosexual sexual addiction. And, the “Elephant” goes by a couple of names – complacency and unbelief.
When you put your money down for the purchase of any magazine or video with nudity in it, you are first paying for the exploitation of the actors who were used in the production of what you bought. The young man or woman who has to take their clothes off in order to get a part in a film or magazine has already sold a part of their self-respect, and have built another wall of division between themselves and the God who wants to redeem them. You participate in that process by financing that young boy or girl’s fall. The Bible says that it would be better for a millstone to be hung around your neck and for you to be thrown into the sea than for you to do that (Luke 17:1-2).
When it comes to explicit pornography, there is an even more hideous reality. In even the most “respected” “girlie” and “boy” magazines, there is an incredible amount of sexual abuse and exploitation going on behind the scenes.
Many of the people you see have been drugged and compromised and threatened in order to secure their participation in the production. At the very least, their emotional insecurities have been sinfully exploited by evil and callous men and women.
It is not unusual in the world of pornography for young girls and boys to be kidnapped off the streets, force-fed addictive drugs and gang-raped in order to break down their resistance to being used. In some cases, they are brutally treated, tortured and even killed. They are often forced into a life of prostitution. This goes on every day of every week in every major city (and some towns) of this country. And the person who finances it is the person who buys pornography. We participate in the unspeakable practices that go on with our dollars and by our silent, turned faces. And still we wonder why pornography has such power to keep a man or woman in bondage.
The first part of the remedy for an addiction to pornography is to see it as the evil that it is. There is no single good thing about it. Learn to hate it for what it does to others as well as for what it does to you and your relationship with God.
Next, determine in your heart that with God’s power, you are going to turn away from your sin and follow the instructions of the Lord.
At this point, it becomes important to get rid of every piece of pornography that you own — not by selling it or giving it away, but by burning and throwing it away. This is a very important step to take, as a practical demonstration to the Lord of your commitment to Him and as a way of eliminating immediate sources of temptation.
It is also important at this point to separate yourself from any affiliation or friendships that have contributed to the problem. Cut up the credit cards that you use to order such materials and services. Change your phone number if you have to, but do those things, which show the Lord that you are serious, because if you are not serious, then you cannot expect that the Lord will do anything to deliver you.
At the same time, spend a lot of time in praise and worship of the Lord; seek Him in prayer with all your heart, in reading the Bible, and in getting involved in a Bible believing fellowship of Christians, so that you can begin to flood the darkness in your life with the light of Jesus Christ.
The relationship that you develop with the Lord in prayer and worship will serve to guide you to the particular issues that birthed the problem in the first place, and as each of them is healed, the power of the forces that try to pull you back into sin will lessen in strength. It’s really a matter of replacing what the pornography did for you with what God Almighty can do for you. You’ll find that it is no contest. What God will fill you with will be beyond what you can possibly imagine or think (Eph. 3:20). Just give it time, and a great deal of attention.
Know this: God loves you and promises to heal you from your calamity and your sin if you will humbly come to Him and ask for His help, and patiently work with Him as He shows you what to do. He can restore your innocence, because He is a mighty and powerful God. He bought you at the price of the death of His own Son. He sees you clothed in robes of pure white linen, righteous before His eyes because you have clothed yourself with the purity and holiness of Christ.
Pastor Phillip Lee
Executive Director
His Way Out Ministries
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