Porn

Have you ever looked at porn online?  Do you know someone who does?  Do you watch the soft-core stuff on HBO?  Do you have a secret?

Yesterday, we tackled it at The Journey – pulling no punches, wagging no fingers, leaving no rock unturned.  Pornucopia: the symbol of spiritual scarcity.  (You can listen right now by clicking here: http://sermon.net/yourjourney... no one will know.)

It was scary (especially for me - my wife was sitting on the front row).  We aimed a glaring spotlight at this thing that likes to lurk in the darkness of our society and our souls.  And what we saw was that we have to choose a side.

There is no neutral territory, no spiritual Switzerland, when it comes to porn.  It's simply a really bad investment

What's the first step in choosing the side of purity over porn?  Man up (or woman up, as the case may be).

Take responsibility.  Stop making excuses, rationalizing your lust.  Maybe you’ve been engaging in it for so long, off and on, here and there, that you’ve started convincing yourself it’s no big deal if you leer at naked people you don't know on a screen or a page; that it’s just your “thorn in the flesh.”  Time to stop that lie in its tracks; it’s leading you off a cliff.

Maybe you’ve even tried to pass the blame, like I have at times: “God, why are you letting this happen to me?  Why don’t you fix me?” 

James wrote, When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed (1:13,14 – NIV).

God isn’t doing this to you.  You’re doing this to you.  You must own it.  Step away from the emotion, the excuses, and the shame and just call this thing what it is.

Maybe you’ve been misreading a lack of response from God; justifying your sin because God hasn’t crushed you for it.  Revisit that with this lens: …the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” …If you are not disciplined… then you are illegitimate children and not true sons (Hebrews 12:6,8 – NIV).

If God isn’t responding anymore… that’s not necessarily a good thing. 

Own your sin.  Call it what it is.  Stop, wherever you are right now, and confess it to God. 

And then receive the full forgiveness and freedom he offers.  God isn’t interested in making you “pay a price” for this.  The purpose of his discipline is to change us, not penalize us – the penalty was already suffered and paid by Jesus Christ the righteous one.  The moment we fully and freely and honestly confess, God fully and freely forgives.

Stop whining.  Stop blaming.  Stop hiding.  Confess it to God and turn away from it.

Don't let porn win.

Comments

[Richie Allen]

Great post, Mark!

This is a decision just about every man (and woman) has to make. What side of the line will we stand?

We are ALL susceptible to the temptations of pornography. Many sincere people who have lived on the wrong side of it are tormented by guilt because they don't think they can defeat it. And, by themselves, it's unlikely that they will overcome it.

The best way is accountability. (That's the stuff of an entire article on it's own.) There are a lot of ways to do it, but the best accountability I've found is through CovenantEyes.com. (I'm not affiliated with them, I just use them.) There's also a well-known book "Every Man's Battle", that is wonderful at helping men to overcome the pitfalls of lust that pervade our culture every day.

With the help of God and your accountability partners, it can become a non-issue.

Thanks for bringing this up.

[Jenny Miller]

Thank you for approaching this subject. You'd be surprised how many do indeed struggle with this issue. Men and women alike.

I was shocked that the statistics of Christian men and women were as high as 20% of Christian Women, 47% of Christian men and 37% of pastors and ministers. Definitely the elephant in the room.

[Mark Johnston]

Richie - thanks for your comment! You're absolutely right. Check out my blog the next day called "Tell Someone Else."
Appreciate your insight my friend!

[Mark Johnston]

Jenny - it is shocking, and it bleeds across gender, age, socio-economic, and yes, even spiritual lines.
Thanks for commenting!