When I was a kid, porn was coming of age. Our neighbor’s father had a subscription to Playboy magazine. The magazines were available any time at their home. I knew that looking at those pictures wasn’t in line with my faith and Christian living, but I found them very “interesting.”
Over the last six months I have received three Facebook messages about friends’ marriages in crisis and near divorce. In two of the three cases, the cause is sexual infidelity. In one of those, pornography played a major part in the infidelity. I suspect the same might be the case in the other two.
Another personal friend’s porn addiction led to looking at illegal materials that resulted in his arrest and charges that nearly landed him in prison.
Seems like pornography isn’t the victimless diversion some claim it is.
Perhaps you know someone caught in the trap of pornography. Perhaps you are one of those people. My heart goes out to all caught in the porn trap.
How have I escaped the trap of porn? In a nutshell, it’s God’s grace. In addition, there are also some practical things I’ve learned and practiced that have helped me porn-proof my mind and marriage.
So I’d like to share some ideas that have helped me porn-proof my mind and marriage:
01. Don’t Toy With Temptation
“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22 ESV)
All pornographic habits and addictions begin with “innocent” dabbling in explicit materials.
It’s easier than ever to play with porn. You used to have to find a magazine somewhere or go somewhere public to acquire naughty photos. Now the material is available on ubiquitous electronic devices.
Recently, I heard of an employee who was looking at explicit material in his cubicle on work time, using the company’s computer. He was observed by someone walking by and warned once, but couldn’t stop. The second time he was terminated from his job. He was a part-time pastor on the side.
Everybody likes to think, “I would never do that.” But the fact is that we don’t know how low we might go until it is too late.
What does God say? He says to “flee.” Don’t toy with temptation; flee from it.
