A Christian leader has written an important article in which he opens up about the lies he believed that led to a pornography habit. Thankfully, he found freedom in Christ for sexual sobriety. He writes,

“Internet pornography use is ubiquitous. The metric you use to support that statement doesn’t seem to matter: percent of internet users who consume it, number of bits of data flowing through the Internet, or even cash currency. It is a huge business. And the internet distributes pornography at levels historically unprecedented. It quickly became easy to access, cheap to acquire, and anonymous to consume.

“I am myself no stranger to the consumption of internet pornography. To be clear, consuming pornographic material is not appropriate for a believer in Jesus Christ. Our website has more information on this. But I don’t think that principle needs repeating; my older brothers in the faith have been very clear about that.

“In this article I want to share with you some insights the Lord has taught me through my struggle to be free of an addiction to internet pornography. I will be frank. And rather than condemning you for your sin (the enemy does a plenty good job at that), I will address a number of beliefs you may find you hold, even if unwittingly. Then you’ll see how those beliefs do not reflect reality—they are all a lie.”

This article is insightful about the lies that promote the poison of porn. The antidote is a deeper appropriation of truth.

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘if you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ … ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed'” (John 8:31,32,34-36 NKJV).

The article has additional persuasiveness due to the author’s first hand experience and testimony. It is summarized this way:

Read “Confessions of a Missionary Addicted to Porn” at www.Probe.org.

In 2009 some college friends launched a nonprofit organization to warn the public about the harmful effects of pornography. Today they have about 5 million followers and many helpful educational resources. Here is some introductory information about FTND.org:

Mission:

Fight the New Drug (FTND) is a non-religious and non-legislative nonprofit that exists to provide individuals the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding pornography by raising awareness on its harmful effects using only science, facts, and personal accounts.

Vision:

We aim to decrease the demand for sexual exploitation through education while helping individuals live empowered lives free from the harmful effects of pornography.
Values:

Values:

Fight the New Drug is research-based, education-focused, sex-positive, and freedom-preserving.

We commend the work that Fight The New Drug is doing. They have a current initiative called No Porn November. To access their research and view testimonial videos, visit FTND.org

Here at DeliverUsFromEvil.online we add biblical revelation to scientific education, and the power of God’s Spirit to the resolve of good ethics.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57).

The Enemy of our soul has many devices. Therefore, we need to have discernment …” to keep Satan from taking advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11).

You may have experienced this downward regression: an

• Impulsive act, leading to
• Compulsive activity, leading to
• Addictive behavior, leading to
• Destructive consequences.

The following testimony from Pure Life Ministries describes the tragic consequences of pornographic habits, but also testifies of the liberating power of God’s provision in Jesus Christ.

The Poison of Pornography
By Tom Blangiardo

My first exposure to pornography came as a defenseless child, less than 10 years old. I innocently rode my two-wheeler down to the neighborhood candy store where I always spent my weekly allowance, and there it was. It was in the early years of Playboy magazine leading the way for a whole new genre of “adult entertainment,” and the magazine was prominently positioned.

Something went into me that day that I could not shake. I came back a day later, and rifled through the pages, filled with both shame and overwhelming excitement. The images were indelibly implanted in my mind. Like Adam and Eve, a whole new world opened up to me. Little did I know that I had been bitten by a vicious serpent, and its deadly venom had entered my soul.

Although this poison is not deadly in one dose, the serpent is relentless. By his repeated and progressive attacks, the serpent’s victim becomes increasingly unable to resist. Satan is a patient predator. He studies and understands his victim. He doesn’t present his corrupted view of reality all at once, but rather step by step, lie by lie, as he sees the target ready to accept the next dose…

Continue reading this post from www.purelifeministries.org/blog/the-poison-of-pornography

Psalm 119 is a unique in the Psalter, being an acrostic poem that celebrates the value and impact of God’s Word. Each 8 verse section begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. (See how it looks in the Hebrew txt here: https://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/OTpdf/psa119.pdf )

Here are a “top 10” list of verses that exhort us to guard our eyes and heart through God’s Word (ESV quotations).

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word. v. 9

Put false ways far from me
and graciously teach me your law! v. 29

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways. v. 37

Your hands have made and fashioned me;
give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. v. 73

In your steadfast love give me life,
that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth. v. 88

Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day. v. 97

Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way. v. 104

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path. v. 105

Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right;
I hate every false way. v. 128

Keep steady my steps according to your promise,
and let no iniquity get dominion over me. v. 133

We have the additional revelation of the New Covenant, with the living Word—the alpha and omega (Rev. 21:6;22:13)—residing in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11,16). May we benefit from the “washing of water by the Word” (Eph. 5:26), and practice the wisdom of God’s design for sex through His enablement.

“We know that our old self [our human nature without the Holy Spirit] was nailed to the cross with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin. For the person who has died [with Christ] has been freed from [the power of] sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live [together] with Him, because we know [the self-evident truth] that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin [ending its power and paying the sinner’s debt] once and for all; and the life that He lives, He lives to [glorify] God [in unbroken fellowship with Him]. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin [and your relationship to it broken], but alive to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:6-11 Amplified Bible

Charles Stanley summarized this truth: “If we have died to sin by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we will have the resurrected life of Christ within us. Neither sin nor death will ever be our master again. Death has been defeated because He gives us life without end with Him in heaven. Until we reach our new heavenly home, we are to draw on the power of the Spirit to put to death the sin that still wants to express itself, and obey God for His glory” (Charles F. Stanley, Life Lessons).

J. B. Stoney observed: “The constant tendency is to try to improve the manner of one’s life here below by adopting Christian principles, whereas you will never arrive at it unless you start from ‘crucified with Christ.’ Then it is not thinking of what I am, but of what He is, ‘Christ liveth in me.’“

Deliverance from evil is not about our willpower, but about tapping into divine enablement. Harry A. Ironside gave this grace-oriented counsel:

“Do not accept the suggestion of the Temper that you are powerless to break away from evil habits. Remember, it is not a question of your own power, but when you honestly repent of the wrongdoing and turn to the Lord for divine help to overcome your besetting sin, He will undertake for you. As you reckon yourself to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord, the Holy Spirit will work in you and through you. He will cause you to triumph over tendencies toward evil and enable you to live victoriously to the glory of the God who has saved you.”

Fellow believer, consider yourself “dead” to the authority of Sin and alive to God to live according to His wise and righteous design!

A popular book on overcoming sexual sin is titled Every Man’s Battle. We need to fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). But the challenge to live in victory over the world, the flesh and the Devil is more than just a personal struggle. Our commitment to personal holiness is a bigger battle than our choice to walk in obedience.

Reginald Wallace observed that this cosmic war involves the believer’s three enemies: the world is our external enemy, demons are our infernal enemies, and the flesh is our internal enemy.[1]  So overcoming sexual sin has bigger implications than just a choice for personal obedience. It’s a matter of being loyal to God‘s kingdom instead of the world, being loyal to Jesus and holy angels, rather than capitulating in spiritual warfare, and walking in the Spirit, instead of fulfilling the lust of the flesh.

Thankfully, as a believer in Christ, you are on the winning side! “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?… In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:31,32,37).

We worship God the Father, who is sovereign over all, and His kingdom will never end. We pray that His kingdom will come, and His will will be done in our lives as it is in heaven. So we can have victory over the world system that sponsors pimps, prostitutes and pornographers. “For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, As the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14). 

In Christ we can have victory over the Devil and his fallen angels. The Lord Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil (Heb. 2:14). Some demons are are already chained in Hades, and the rest will be cast into Hell at the end of the age (2 Peter 2:4; Rev. 20:10). During Christ’s earthly ministry, He saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven, and through His death and resurrection Christ has been given all authority (Luke 10:18; Col 2:15). Christ has ascended above the realm of all angelic or demonic powers (1 Pet. 3:22). As believers, we are raised with Him and share His authority over our spiritual enemies (Col 3:1-4). Therefore, stand in Christ’s victory, suited up in spiritual armor (Eph. 6:10-18).

The flesh in us is corrupt and enslaving; it is prone to lust and self-deception. Paul said “In my flesh dwells no good thing” (Rom 7:18). “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another…(Gal 5:17). But the Holy Spirit in us is more than able to give us victorious life. “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Gal 5:16).

Regarding the enablement of the Holy Spirit in you, remember His powerful work at the beginning of creation. The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible states,

“As for the world of nature, in the beginning (Gen 1) the Spirit of God brooded like a bird on the nest over the formless primeval chaos. As a result, from chaos there emerged the cosmos. The Spirit, as the source of all energy and life, impregnated, as it were, the deep nothingness or formless void, and out of it came forth at the divine behest the vast realm of the created order. Once the creation had been achieved, the same Spirit conserves, renews, and withdraws life by a continuous process in the realm of nature (Job 33:4; Ps. 33:6; 104:30). Thus the OT justifies the epithet, ‘the One who makes alive,’ used to describe the Spirit in the Nicene Creed.”

This same Holy Spirit of God lives in us as believers and can give us the fruit of self-control (Gal 5:23).

So as we choose to walk in freedom from intentional sin patterns, let us consider that this involves a bigger battle than just our own experiences. We don’t live for ourself alone, we live unto the Lord (Rom. 14:7,8). Our testimony affects the advancement of God‘s kingdom, the health and growth of Christ’s church, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in and through us.

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57).

_______

[1] Reginald Wallace, The New Life, ch. 1. GraceFellowshipInternational.com

JBW

I recently tuned into a webinar by Freedom Fight. After getting their flagship book and checking out their web site, I am glad to spread the word about their excellent, practical resources. – JBW

Living Out Your Identity in Christ in a Sexualized Culture: A Six Session Bible Study in Ephesians
Sit Walk Stand Video Bible Study
This is “a six session Bible Study in Ephesians. Paul not only explains the truths about our position in Christ, but he gives practical steps to make living out our identity in Christ a lifestyle. The Ephesians lived in a sexualized culture which has great application for today’s believer in a pornified world.” https://thefreedomfight.org/sit-walk-stand/

The 30-Day Challenge
“This free email service delivers 10-minutes of biblical, clinical, and practical content that mixes video, scripture, articles, and testimonies to support the challenge to go 30 days without porn or other unwanted sexual behaviors. Just as with our more comprehensive Freedom Fight Program, this ‘mini course’ can be done by an individual or with a small group. Our 30DC Leader’s Guide helps you facilitate a group through a 5 weeks period with simple discussion questions. This resource is particularly helpful for helping and equipping others in a non-shaming way who might be lacking conviction or may not be quite ready for a bigger commitment.” (Also, YouVersion has the “Freedom From Porn Begins Here” in their Bible app.)
https://thefreedomfight.org/30-day-challenge-sign-up/

The Freedom Fight Book
“For those looking for a book study as the on-ramp to the main program, this is a great option. This is a 13-week study of the entire book (17 chapters) written by The Freedom Fight founder, Ted Shimer. The first section of the book looks at the Brutal Realities of Porn’s Impact, and the second section focuses on the six roots of a sex/pornography addiction and the solutions that address them. This is a great resource to begin taking steps towards finding freedom while gaining a holistic understanding of the issue.”
https://thefreedomfight.org/book/

The Freedom Fight Program
(6 MONTHS, HIGH COMMITMENT LEVEL, FOR THOSE READY TO TAKE ACTION)
“Our comprehensive program blends brain science, clinical practices, and biblical wisdom to guide men and women to freedom. This no-cost mobile and web app use a systematic approach of dozens of 5-8 minute videos, tools, and scripturestudies that guide the participant through key principles that address the 6 roots of pornography addiction. Although built to be accessible by the individual, this program is most helpful when embarking on this journey with others, whether in 1:1 accountability or in a small group. Learn more about what makes our program so successful. The full program is commonly a 25-week journey.”
https://thefreedomfight.org/about/our-approach/