i will be expanding on this thought soon…stay posted…
this was a comment on a FB post i wrote.
Monsters live in the dark. first, i commend the boy for reaching out. in our circles, many feel they have to struggle in silence because the church is cold and cruel to those who are honest with their sins. i got saved out of a life long porn addiction that started in 3rd grade. parents might not be to blame because you can now access it everywhere — on cell phones and have a calculator app to hide it, library internet, gas stations, hotel computers, church computers, etc. you can do private internet searches that don’t show up. it is very accessible and men are wired to be stimulated, so the devil can have a hayday. quickly some things that help stay in victory 1) be sure you are saved. i have not been perfect since i was saved, but in 10 years of being saved i could no longer enjoy sin AND i no longer could get away with much for long. God needs to be there to change the desires and direction. 2) if saved, confess the sin to select trust worthy few, and have an accountability partner. 3) fall in love with Jesus. if i am in love with Jesus, i can have access to porn but my desires are zero for long stretches, and when tempted i rather keep my fellowhship than ruin things with God for a season. if i am following after the flesh, i can have the best filters going and will find some loopholes. it is not fun to white knuckle. 4) limit putting gasoline on the fire. be careful with the little compromises. men’s brains tend to lock on a project, etc and won’t let go until the job is finished. this can work with porn. if you see a cover of a Sports illustrated swimsuit model in the check out of wal mart, it can salt the appetite for more and more. you need to put a hedge up and not cross it. if i am stuck in line with them in full view, i pick up the pile, throw them on top of the soda cooler upside down, and get my brain to change subjects! you need to starve the flesh. because you love God and trust true pleasures are at his right hand. 5) Put off and put on. replace evil with good. saturate yourself with good music, etc. 6) focus on helping others out of addiction. it gets the focus off of you and gets the brain refocused off of what it can’t have 7) memorize some verses and apply them Proverbs says ponder the path of thy feet. think of the worst case scenario when tempted. think of consequences, how miserable you feel after etc. 8) don’t quit. if you fall, get back up where you left off. God often won’t give us total freedom from this because it forces us to be dependent on Him. the arm of flesh will fail you. HE is able to KEEP us from falling, so turn your eyes upon Jesus. you do that by staying so close to Him you recognize when you start distancing your self in the slightest. 9) Know victory is possible, only thru Jesus, and know it is worth it to be and stay free.