The Secret Sin of Porn
When God made Adam and Eve they eventually chose to sin through the influence of Satan (Gen. 3). And, after that, it was God who clothed them. I believe that every since then, Satan has been trying to unclothe mankind because we are naturally attracted to the opposite sex. So, the Bible states that he tried it by tempting Potiphar’s wife to tempt Joseph (Gen. 39:12). He used this sin again when Lot’sdaughters got him drunk so they could sleep with him (Gen. 19:30-36). And, I dare not imagine how wicked man was that God had no alternative but to destroy the world by water (Gen. 6). So, sin is extremely powerful in Satan’s world of darkness and he knows this. And, he knows that sin’s power to work in secret is a way that cannot be confronted and has destroyed many disciples of Jesus. Private sins can corrode the mind, body and various impulses.
Porn entices and draws people in many different ways.
So, how dangerous is porn? Well, consider what Jesus said:“Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person…” (Matt. 15:16-20). Jesus knows our hearts can betray us and produce evil thoughts, especially through the various forms of sexuality, including porn.
Today, many are infatuated with porn and the $100 billion the porn industry makes each year proves that. And, this is not just a guy thing. Millions of women also struggle with porn. Even within Christianity, it has been guestimated that 50% of men and 30% of women regularly, not once in a while, but regularly, views porn. And this “secret sin” is causing marriage to suffer greatly. Husbands who view porn are not loving their wives as they should and wives, who view porn, are looking for pleasures that are not from their husbands. Even worse, many teens are also looking at porn who came by it either by accident, popups and/or curiosity. And no, no parental controls are 100% safe either.
So, what can we do about this sin? We must realize that Satan has again told lies and whispers to us that, “porn is no big deal. It’s not hurting anyone.” But, this is not true. It hurts millions and has become the 21st century idol today. Still Satan blinds minds (2 Cor. 4:4) and dresses up in costumes of light and righteousness (2 Cor. 11:13-15). To Christians, Satan plucks the Word of God out of people’s hearts and chokes their faith (Mk. 4:1-9). So, it takes commitment and it was Job who showed us an example of that commitment. In Job 31:1, Job said, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?” In essence, Job was saying that adultery comes from lusting for a woman with your eyes. He knew that impure thinking is sin and leads to more sin and Job wanted to keep his integrity, his ethics and his morals. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul tells us to stay away from sexual immorality and lustful desires (1 Thess. 4:3). Even Jesus had something to say about lust, which feeds people’s porn addictions (Matt. 5:28; Mk. 7:20-23; Jn. 8:34).
We can also realize that while there are all sorts of self helps, chat groups, psychologists,etc…, they are not a permanent solution. Any addiction, whether by alcohol, drugs or porn has to start with a spiritual root because all sin is selfishness. And, let me be clear: sin is not just an unwise choice or unhealthy decision. And, to be bold, sin is nothing more than the replacement of God’s authority with our own. This is why all sins, including pornography, must be repented.
One addicted to porn needs to realize that porn is an idol for an idol is that which you are committed to, loyal to and devote your time to. So,turn to God and His word and see the power that lies within (Rom. 1:16) because He has not left us defenseless against any sin or temptation. Those addicted to porn need to saturate their lives in every way with God and His Word because the alternative is to embrace porn and allow Satan to murder us (Jn. 8:44). Satan wants us for his own and this is why the Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil (1 Jn. 3:8). Christ overcame Satan and so can we who have been washed in His blood. So, don’t let Satan secretly destroy you with porn. Resist the devil and he will go away (Jam. 4:7). Be on guard because Satan is looking to devour you (1 Pet. 5:8). Pray to God for strength. Have mentors who can help you and have them pray for you as well. And most of all, whether you are struggling with porn or whether you know someone who is struggling with it, we need to bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2) and we need God in every aspect of our lives along with His Son who saves us through His precious blood (Rom. 6:3-4).