Post by Micheal on May 9, 2008 20:05:15 GMT -6
Today I would like to talk about a very controversial subject. Pornography. And if you don't think it's controversial, try mentioning it in a room full of people some time. Chances are, you'll get one of two reactions. If you're in a room full of just guys, usually high school or college age, they may happily start discussing it. Their favorite magazines, websites, and/or models.
However, with most people you'll get quite the opposite reaction. You say the word pornography and all of a sudden the room will get quiet. The reason is that pornography is a taboo conversation topic. Even is someone thinks it's okay to view pornographic material, most people do not think it's okay to talk about it.
The reason most people wont talk about it? Could it be that they feel dirty or guilty if they seriously discuss it? I think so. And the reason I think that they feel that way is that, deep down, we all KNOW[/u] that is is WRONG.
We Christians would call it the Holy Spirit, but you may call it your conscience, moral compass, or just an innate knowledge of right and wrong. Whatever you call it, something makes us feel bad when we view pornography. At least for the first few times. You may be at the point were you no longer notice or care if something inside feels wrong.
However, no matter if you feel it or not, something inside us knows that pornography is wrong. I know this because it says in the Bible that God has placed the knowledge of Him and His laws inside us all. If you look it up, in Jeremiah 31:33 here's what you find. "I will put my laws on their minds and write my laws on their hearts." Did you catch that? God WRITES His laws on our hearts. And, back in the days of the Bible, they didn't write important things like God's laws on paper. They chiseled them in stone so that they would last forever. Remember the Ten Commandments? God literally wrote them on stone.
So, when it says that "He writes His laws on our hearts", it's talking about some hardcore, everlasting writing. "Okay", you may be saying, "So God put the knowledge of His laws on our hearts. Where in His laws does it state that pornography is wrong?" I'm going to be straight up honest with you. NOWHERE in the Bible will you find the exact words "Pornography is wrong". But, let me ask you a question. When you look at pornography, is lust involved? The answer is obviously yes. And anyone who says no is lying. I know this from personal experience. I battled pornography for 6 1/2 years. Lust is most definitely involved.
Some people might try to justify it by saying, "So what if I'm lusting after those models. It's not as if I'm actually having sex." Well, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. It's found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5 verses 27 and 28. Jesus says, "You have heard that the law of Moses say, 'Do not commit adultery'. But I day, anyone who ever looks at a woman TO LUST AFTER HER has already committed adultery with her in his heart." So the Lord say that pornography equals adultery. Adultery, according to the dictionary, is "voluntary sex between a person and someone other than their spouse".
That kind of puts a new perspective on our view of pornography doesn't it. Let's look even further. In Deuteronomy 22:22 we find the punishment for adultery. "If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the other man's wife MUST BE KILLED". So, if to God lust is equal to adultery, then viewing pornography is not just a sin, but a sin worthy of death. Just something to think about the next time you are tempted to view pornography.
Here's something else to think about. Ephesians 5:3-5 says, "Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such things have no place among God's people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes- these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God."
You may have noticed that I underlined three things in that passage. Sexual immorality, impurity, and greed. Wonder why? Well, you'll notice that is is explicitly (directly) stated that there should be none of these three things "among you" (speaking to the church in Ephesus). And, if you know anything about pornography, you know that these three sins pretty much sum it up.
The sexual immorality and the impurity should be obvious. However, you may have some trouble connecting greed with pornography. If you figured out the connection, congratulations. But if you didn't, let me help you out. Lust, which as we discussed earlier is always involved in pornography, is a form of greed. It is seeing something and saying, "I want that really bad."
But it doesn't just stop with lust. The greed connection goes much deeper. Have you ever heard the term "sex sells"? This statement is sad but true. Every time someone purchases a sexual magazine, submits a story to an erotic literature company, or even when a model poses arousingly for those photo, someone's wallet gets fatter. You wouldn't believe the amount of money that that industry makes. If no one, anywhere in the world, for a month didn't support the pornography industry, it would disappear. I guarantee it.
Now you may be saying, "This letter was written to Christians? God's people? What's up with that?" Well, it just goes to show that, just because you go to church, does not mean that you are perfect. Here's some interesting statistics. 7 out of 10 men (Christian and non-christian alike) admitted to viewing pornographic websites at least once a month. 51% of pastors surveyed admitted to viewing pornography regularly. It is extremely sad, but satan has got a strong grip on the church as well as the rest of the world.
However there is hope. In that same passage, it says to be thankful to God. "Thankful for what", you may ask. Well, look around you. In fact I challenge you. Take a pen, get some paper, and write down every good thing, no matter how big or small, in your life. Those things are blessings from God. In the Bible, James 1:17 tells us that "every good and perfect thing comes from God...". So, the next time you are tempted to view pornography, take a step back and thank God for His blessings instead. I have more steps to help you win this fight, but we'll get to those in a minute.
For now, I want to sidetrack a little. Maybe you're sitting here reading this and you don't believe in it. Maybe you think the Bible is hogwash and we are all a bunch of crazy people. If you fit that bill, I have some info for you.
Some practical problems of pornography are: Pornography is highly addictive, even more than heroine. The reason? If it came down to it, you could be forcibly rehabilitated for any drug. Pornography permanently imprints images on your mind. How are you going to be forced away from your mind?
Pornography often causes problems in relationships. It can cause you to be unable to love others correctly.
Pornography often causes people to expect certain sexual things in bed and, when not delivered, they degrade their spouse.
Hopefully some of that got through to you guys. Now for the steps to access freedom.
1. Change the way we see things. We are told, in 1 Timothy 5:2 to "treat the older women as you would your own mother, and treat the younger women with all purity as your own sisters." If that model were your mother or you sister, would you look at her? How would you feel about others seeing her like that?
2. Repent. 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Get that. As soon as you tell God you're sorry, that you're ready to try things His way, He forgives and forgets. And he renews you and refreshes your strength to try again.
3. Commit to stop viewing pornography. Job 31:1, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a young woman." Follow Job's advice. Say, "Alright eyes, here's the deal. We're not going to look at women with lust anymore." Then trust God. If you trust Him completely, nothing can overcome you. And memorize some verses that will help you along. When you are tempted, speak those verses into reality. Job 31:1, Romans 8:31, 1 Corinthians 10:13, and Psalms 16:8 are good ones. Check out a concordance for more help.
4. Be accountable. Next, find someone you can talk to about it. The best person would be someone you can trust. Maybe a parent, someone from church, etc. Also, it needs to be someone who will ask you the hard questions and go out of their way to help when you are struggling. If you are under eighteen, it should be someone who is older. That way they can help you with the benefit of the their knowledge.
5. Avoid compromising situations. This final step may seem hard at times, but it will help. If you were a recovering alcoholic, you wouldn't work in a bar or liquor store. As it is, don't EVER be alone with a computer that has Internet access. Don't carry enough money to buy a pornography magazine. Do NOT be around people who will influence you the wrong way. Sadly, sometimes this means cutting off close friend, but it's your friends or your spirit sometimes. Remember that last part of the verses in Ephesians. Those who do not repent and turn from pornography will not inherit God's kingdom.
Well, we've been over quite a bit. I pray that this reaches someone and changes them. Because it would be a shame for that one person to never know what God has for them because of pornography. As always, don't just take my word on the subject. Get a Bible and see if I'm on the up-and-up.
Peace out and God bless
However, with most people you'll get quite the opposite reaction. You say the word pornography and all of a sudden the room will get quiet. The reason is that pornography is a taboo conversation topic. Even is someone thinks it's okay to view pornographic material, most people do not think it's okay to talk about it.
The reason most people wont talk about it? Could it be that they feel dirty or guilty if they seriously discuss it? I think so. And the reason I think that they feel that way is that, deep down, we all KNOW[/u] that is is WRONG.
We Christians would call it the Holy Spirit, but you may call it your conscience, moral compass, or just an innate knowledge of right and wrong. Whatever you call it, something makes us feel bad when we view pornography. At least for the first few times. You may be at the point were you no longer notice or care if something inside feels wrong.
However, no matter if you feel it or not, something inside us knows that pornography is wrong. I know this because it says in the Bible that God has placed the knowledge of Him and His laws inside us all. If you look it up, in Jeremiah 31:33 here's what you find. "I will put my laws on their minds and write my laws on their hearts." Did you catch that? God WRITES His laws on our hearts. And, back in the days of the Bible, they didn't write important things like God's laws on paper. They chiseled them in stone so that they would last forever. Remember the Ten Commandments? God literally wrote them on stone.
So, when it says that "He writes His laws on our hearts", it's talking about some hardcore, everlasting writing. "Okay", you may be saying, "So God put the knowledge of His laws on our hearts. Where in His laws does it state that pornography is wrong?" I'm going to be straight up honest with you. NOWHERE in the Bible will you find the exact words "Pornography is wrong". But, let me ask you a question. When you look at pornography, is lust involved? The answer is obviously yes. And anyone who says no is lying. I know this from personal experience. I battled pornography for 6 1/2 years. Lust is most definitely involved.
Some people might try to justify it by saying, "So what if I'm lusting after those models. It's not as if I'm actually having sex." Well, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. It's found in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5 verses 27 and 28. Jesus says, "You have heard that the law of Moses say, 'Do not commit adultery'. But I day, anyone who ever looks at a woman TO LUST AFTER HER has already committed adultery with her in his heart." So the Lord say that pornography equals adultery. Adultery, according to the dictionary, is "voluntary sex between a person and someone other than their spouse".
That kind of puts a new perspective on our view of pornography doesn't it. Let's look even further. In Deuteronomy 22:22 we find the punishment for adultery. "If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the other man's wife MUST BE KILLED". So, if to God lust is equal to adultery, then viewing pornography is not just a sin, but a sin worthy of death. Just something to think about the next time you are tempted to view pornography.
Here's something else to think about. Ephesians 5:3-5 says, "Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such things have no place among God's people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes- these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God."
You may have noticed that I underlined three things in that passage. Sexual immorality, impurity, and greed. Wonder why? Well, you'll notice that is is explicitly (directly) stated that there should be none of these three things "among you" (speaking to the church in Ephesus). And, if you know anything about pornography, you know that these three sins pretty much sum it up.
The sexual immorality and the impurity should be obvious. However, you may have some trouble connecting greed with pornography. If you figured out the connection, congratulations. But if you didn't, let me help you out. Lust, which as we discussed earlier is always involved in pornography, is a form of greed. It is seeing something and saying, "I want that really bad."
But it doesn't just stop with lust. The greed connection goes much deeper. Have you ever heard the term "sex sells"? This statement is sad but true. Every time someone purchases a sexual magazine, submits a story to an erotic literature company, or even when a model poses arousingly for those photo, someone's wallet gets fatter. You wouldn't believe the amount of money that that industry makes. If no one, anywhere in the world, for a month didn't support the pornography industry, it would disappear. I guarantee it.
Now you may be saying, "This letter was written to Christians? God's people? What's up with that?" Well, it just goes to show that, just because you go to church, does not mean that you are perfect. Here's some interesting statistics. 7 out of 10 men (Christian and non-christian alike) admitted to viewing pornographic websites at least once a month. 51% of pastors surveyed admitted to viewing pornography regularly. It is extremely sad, but satan has got a strong grip on the church as well as the rest of the world.
However there is hope. In that same passage, it says to be thankful to God. "Thankful for what", you may ask. Well, look around you. In fact I challenge you. Take a pen, get some paper, and write down every good thing, no matter how big or small, in your life. Those things are blessings from God. In the Bible, James 1:17 tells us that "every good and perfect thing comes from God...". So, the next time you are tempted to view pornography, take a step back and thank God for His blessings instead. I have more steps to help you win this fight, but we'll get to those in a minute.
For now, I want to sidetrack a little. Maybe you're sitting here reading this and you don't believe in it. Maybe you think the Bible is hogwash and we are all a bunch of crazy people. If you fit that bill, I have some info for you.
Some practical problems of pornography are: Pornography is highly addictive, even more than heroine. The reason? If it came down to it, you could be forcibly rehabilitated for any drug. Pornography permanently imprints images on your mind. How are you going to be forced away from your mind?
Pornography often causes problems in relationships. It can cause you to be unable to love others correctly.
Pornography often causes people to expect certain sexual things in bed and, when not delivered, they degrade their spouse.
Hopefully some of that got through to you guys. Now for the steps to access freedom.
1. Change the way we see things. We are told, in 1 Timothy 5:2 to "treat the older women as you would your own mother, and treat the younger women with all purity as your own sisters." If that model were your mother or you sister, would you look at her? How would you feel about others seeing her like that?
2. Repent. 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Get that. As soon as you tell God you're sorry, that you're ready to try things His way, He forgives and forgets. And he renews you and refreshes your strength to try again.
3. Commit to stop viewing pornography. Job 31:1, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a young woman." Follow Job's advice. Say, "Alright eyes, here's the deal. We're not going to look at women with lust anymore." Then trust God. If you trust Him completely, nothing can overcome you. And memorize some verses that will help you along. When you are tempted, speak those verses into reality. Job 31:1, Romans 8:31, 1 Corinthians 10:13, and Psalms 16:8 are good ones. Check out a concordance for more help.
4. Be accountable. Next, find someone you can talk to about it. The best person would be someone you can trust. Maybe a parent, someone from church, etc. Also, it needs to be someone who will ask you the hard questions and go out of their way to help when you are struggling. If you are under eighteen, it should be someone who is older. That way they can help you with the benefit of the their knowledge.
5. Avoid compromising situations. This final step may seem hard at times, but it will help. If you were a recovering alcoholic, you wouldn't work in a bar or liquor store. As it is, don't EVER be alone with a computer that has Internet access. Don't carry enough money to buy a pornography magazine. Do NOT be around people who will influence you the wrong way. Sadly, sometimes this means cutting off close friend, but it's your friends or your spirit sometimes. Remember that last part of the verses in Ephesians. Those who do not repent and turn from pornography will not inherit God's kingdom.
Well, we've been over quite a bit. I pray that this reaches someone and changes them. Because it would be a shame for that one person to never know what God has for them because of pornography. As always, don't just take my word on the subject. Get a Bible and see if I'm on the up-and-up.
Peace out and God bless