having trouble with internet pornography?

Accountability helps but the greatest help is the fruit of the Spirit which is self-control.

I've been interested in this topic for awhile; why are Christian men tempted to view pornography? It seems to simplistic to say "they are consumed by lust and their depraved nature". Though there may be some truth to the aforementioned statement, has it been considered that the temptation to view pornography may spring from a lack of intimacy in their marriage? Since emotional and sexual intimacy is often on par with one another in the male psyche, lack of intimacy (more than just sexual) may result in seeking percieved intimacy from pornography. Loss of intimacy can result from many different causes: illness of a spouse, marital problems, behavioral problems of a spouse, ect... This is not an excuse to view pornography by any means but rather an opportunity to assess some of the root causes of this issue.

The root of this sin is the same as all other sins: the sinful nature. Man's depravity because of the fall of Adam causes innumerable sins, including sexual immorality.

So, how do we deal with sexual immorality? The same way we deal with all other sins: Die to self, live in Christ. Die to lust and sexual immorality, live in Christ and self-control.

By the Spirit, put this sin to death, as you do all other sins. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. Thus, whatever temptation, sin, attack, or challenge you must overcome, hold on to God's Word regarding this issue. Know what God says about it; hold on to it by faith.

Faith in Christ is your victory. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ. Abide in Him. Pray until you have victory. If you feel weak, call someone to pray with you. Let us carry each other's burdens, helping one another. This is not about being "accountable" to someone else; this is about helping one another in the fight.

Keith Daniel talked about the 'second look'... the enemy may tempt with the first look but the 'second look' is entirely up to us.
He went on to say, you cannot take the 'second look' if you are soaking yourself in the Word of GOD.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:3 - Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

How do one expect to judge angels if the angels are seeing them viewing unclean images.

"You are as holy as you want to be, any minister that tell you otherwise is a liar."

PQ*

The root of this sin is the same as all other sins: the sinful nature. Man's depravity because of the fall of Adam causes innumerable sins, including sexual immorality.

Renouncer: What you say is true. There would be no problem with sin if it were not for sin. :-) And there is great power in realizing that we are dead with Christ indeed unto sin. This realization that it is through God's grace that we have the power over sin and can reckon ourselves dead indeed to sin is key, I think, to victory.

I do want to throw another element into this discussion though. Often there are issues behind the issue. I have rarely encountered a Christian man who is struggling with pornography that does not have much deeper issues that they need God's healing and deliverance from. In other words, porn is rarely the problem, but is usually a symptom of the problem. I would say that most men I have encountered who are having problems in this area have had great damage to their souls from rejection. Most who have problems in their marriages with true intimacy (not at all limited to sexual intimacy) have these issues in their lives. These are things that they need God to step in and heal, and often they have never allowed even God to come that close to them. I am not talking psychology here, but rather wounds of the emotions and mind that God must heal. It has been my experience that when this stronghold is brought down, the symptom of addiction to pornography falls as well.

Although we are born again in the Spirit, we are all living in the flesh (that is in a physical body with mind, will, and emotions that are not redeemed yet). We are transformed in our soul (mind, will, emotions) by the renewing of the mind through the word and etc., but that is a process that will never be completed until Christ returns. We will still battle with temptations of the mind and flesh. So it is important that we have close relationships with other men of God who we can be accountable to and strengthened in the Lord. But for the addictive behavior it is much prayer and discernment that is needed to determine what strongholds need to come down to see a man delivered from this thing.

Believe it or not, this a growing problem with females. This problem is no longer confined to males.

Seems to me the devil knows his time is getting shorter and he is getting desperate and no longer is as subtle in his deception as he once was. It is flagrant, bold, public and unashamed.

This should tell us something..but then the younger generation is not aware of these subtle changes because they have not seen life from a perspective of many years.

ginnyrose

Twayneb,
I concur with your post :) As I said, it's too easy to write it off by saying "You need to stop your sinful behavior!". Obviously. Instead let's strike at the root and not minimize the emotional needs that many Christians have.

Below is a link to another SI thread which I feel has some wise advice on this topic. Don't be thrown by the thread title. The Holy Spirit brought out some great truth in the thread. https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?forum=48&topic_id=16033&post_id=124194&viewmode=thread&order=0

Don't make Jesus laugh!!YOU CANT HELP IT.............BULL ---- He is watching you PLAY him .And christian?YOU WILL REALLY PAY!Is greasy grace your hand lube?Please!!Just try to imagine his torture on Calvary.PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have found that filtering (without an over ride password) and accuntability reporting (someone can see where I surf) is a great solution, "a way of escape".

Although it does not solve the core problem of addiction, filtering software for a computer is, in my opinion, a must. It sure cuts down on the temptations that are thrust in front of the eyes. We use a filter on our machines. My wife has the passwords. It is really awesome. I NEVER have to worry about racy banner ads, pop ups, etc. They just never appear. Worry free internet usage. It's too bad Walmart does not have a "filter" for the checkout lanes. I am totally for tools that help you, but it is only Jesus who can set you free.

4Hearts, greasy grace? I despise the term, grace came at the cost of the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord thus, there is nothing greasy about it, it is grace that will pardon and cleanse within, it is grace that will cleanse us from all our sin, there is no such thing as greasy grace. There may be individuals who take advantage of that grace, but that does not make grace "greasy" and, really, don't we all take advantage of God's grace in our own peculiar, individual ways?

But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. Revelation 2:20 The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations." 17:4-5

A year ago I was drinking from this cup of filth. I was captive in Babylon. I lay here in bed next to my wife writing this right now. A year ago I was laying in bed engaging in sexual immorality as she slept beside me.

I loved sports, movies, tv shows, pop fiction books, I loved so many things that I had played the harlot with.
I did not love the Lord Jesus Christ. I loved the world. This is the root. It is spiritual harloty that leads to sexual immorality. First the spirit convicted me of how I played the whore with my God. Then the Spirit convicted me of how I really wanted to make God my prostitute to get blessings, and gifts, and eternal life, All about what he could give me if I payed him lip service. I was utterly wicked And I thought I was righteous. I deserved hell, I still do. I had to confess to my wife, I had to confess how I was holding the cross of Christ up to contempt, and as a result my witness was scattering instead of gathering.

I had to Repent of my Sins. And as I came to myself, and I saw the filth I was living in, the Pigs were all around me, I said I HAVE SINNED AGAINST HEAVEN AND EARTH AND I AM NOT WORTHY TO BE CALLED YOUR SON.

The father saw me, a long way off, I was covered in filth. I was covered in my snot and my tears. I was helpless.

AND THIS IS THE GRACE OF GOD.

HE RAN TO ME FELL ON MY NECK AND KISSED ME.

He called me his son. He said that I was his child and that he loved me. He has given me his Spirit so that I will never go back to wallowing in the filth with those Pigs again, because he loves me, and I love him. It is now unthinkable that I would ever go back.

The forgiveness found at the Cross of Jesus Christ is so overwhelming. He is so full of Grace. I would rather die then do that to my God again, my hearts desire, my greatest love, never, ever, ever again. I know that nothing will separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

Brothers, you who are in this filth, come to yourselves, Repent and see the filth you are wallowing in, the Father is looking for you, he wants to run out to you and scoop you up in his arms. Please God set the captives free. Oh come out of her my people, come out. Drink from this filthy cup of abomination no longer. There is mercy in My Father's Arms. He love us so much, so, so , much.

My Son has come home. He was lost now he is found. He was dead now he lives. My Son, My Son, has come home.

I've been interested in this topic for awhile; why are Christian men tempted to view pornography? It seems to simplistic to say "they are consumed by lust and their depraved nature". Though there may be some truth to the aforementioned statement, has it been considered that the temptation to view pornography may spring from a lack of intimacy in their marriage? Since emotional and sexual intimacy is often on par with one another in the male psyche, lack of intimacy (more than just sexual) may result in seeking perceived intimacy from pornography. Loss of intimacy can result from many different causes: illness of a spouse, marital problems, behavioral problems of a spouse, ect... This is not an excuse to view pornography by any means but rather an opportunity to assess some of the root causes of this issue.

I think it is mostly indeed the consumption of lust and depraved nature. The "lack of intimacy," "spousal illness," "marital problems," and "behavioral problems of a spouse," are not things the cross fixes for "me." The cross cannot fix in me...external factors. I think these ought to only be labeled as such. All of these can be construed as excuses. If I ever approach any of my own personal sin with a construct that requires a more "saline" environment. I will never experience victory. Adam and Eve enjoyed the bliss of Eden, there was never a more perfect environment for anyone...yet sin entered through this one man. This one man who I know so well because I am/was him.

I am an ex-addict, and while temptation may arise on a daily basis, my lust has been sledge-hammered to the cross. All its putrid, vile wretchedness is now enjoying rigormortis in the wind. I cannot emphasize enough brothers (and sisters) the importance of the fruit of self-control which only comes from the Holy Spirit.

I quipped at the beginning of this thread that accountability is helpful, but it is only skin deep. Once the accountability is removed, and circumstances present you a plate of Turkish Delight, you will go right after it again with rampant ardor, and the devil will set up vacancy in your life and throw a block party for all his homies. You cannot simply "reform" or "clean" your house out. You must be filled with the Holy Ghost, Jesus must be living out his will through you. You must be his glove.

It must be the love of Christ compelling us to hate sin...to work out our salvation with fear and trembling in such a way that we do not want to disappoint our Lord.

About thirty good long readings through the book of Galatians, with an open heart and a ready mind, and a will to submit to its deepest truths wrecked lust for me. The book of Galatians is like a border-patrol agent that deported me from a world of self absorption to a state of grace.

Rule keeping is a beggarly replacement for walking in the Spirit. This is where so many "holiness" people get it wrong in my opinion. People make up all sorts of rules, or construct all sorts of paper houses in order to protect themselves from the elements of sin. God already offered us His solution, it is the cross. While God has offered us all this gift of freedom, the only way it is appropriated is through a reckoning. Reckon your death. Walk in the newness of the Spirit. Here there is no "rule," rather here is what the "rules," are always trying to point us too.

Who would ever want to live in a description of a house? No one in their right mind would ever ever consider such folly (the avant garde notwithstanding.) Rather, they do what is more sensible...they live in what was once described, and has moved on to being constructed. Every house begins with a "plan," but a plan only serves a purpose for a while.

This is grace, this is New Covenant life. This is what Jesus gave everything up for...

May God grant the grace for any brother or sister who cannot overcome this to see this sin for the puke that it is. May we respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit..."Now to him that is able to keep thee from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God and Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever, Amen!" -Jude 24-25

Bro, that was an AWESOME post, what a testimony! Brought tears to my eyes man. All I have to say to that is, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." -Revelation 12:11