Overcoming Pornography

But Jesus told them, Matt 5:27-29

"You have heard that it was said, ’Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. What is he saying?

Jesus is telling us,

there can only be one legitimate object of your sexual affection,

and that is your spouse.

It doesn’t matter if you’re looking lustfully,

or thinking thoughts,

or acting on those thoughts,

the object or your sexual attraction must be your wife,

and if its not, its sin.

You see,

Jesus knew that

men are primarily tempted through their eyes.

Women can also be tempted that way,

but not to nearly the same extent as men.

That’s why Job took a strong stand in order to live in purity:

Job 31:1 NIV

“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.”

That’s the only way to defeat sexual temptation,

is you refuse to even take a second look.

In our society today,

we are surrounded by sexual images.

Its nearly impossible to shelter your eyes

from sexual images.

We see it on the TV screen,

In the supermarket checkout line,

Billboards,

lingerie ads,

emails on our computer,

you name it,

You cannot prevent yourself from being tempted.

But you can prevent yourself

from taking a second look,

and from dwelling on it.

Job said, I made a covenant.

When I see a woman,

and I’m tempted,

I’ve got a contract with my eyes,

that I immediately look away,

and I don’t look back,

I don’t look lustfully.

Remember temptation isn’t a sin,

but dwelling on it is.

Its when you take the 2nd look and start to imagine things,

and the lust kicks in,

then its got you.

Martin Luther said, “You can’t keep a bird from flying over your head, but you can keep him from building a nest in your hair”.

The 2nd Myth,

b) Sexual lust is an essential part of being a man The enemy, Satan, would love for you to think that,

because if he can keep you thinking its normal,

then he can keep you defeated,

discouraged and powerless in your Christian life,

full of guilt and shame,

and unable to be the real man that your wife and family needs.

The 3rd Myth:

c) Sexual lust is harmless as long as it is kept under control.

Its not harmless.

It is devastating to your life,

and to your family.

Let me read you one woman’s story about how harmless this is:

"My husband began using porn as a teenager. What was once an adolescent hobby became the “other woman” in our marriage. At first it was our intimacy that suffered. Then, his pastime grew into an addiction which then started to include more serious forms like strip bars. He was often late coming home, with poor excuses. I noticed our money disappearing and never suspected he was spending hundreds of dollars a month to feed his addiction.

Me? I felt responsible, ugly, ashamed, alone and hopeless. Why would he look at another woman unless I wasn’t pretty or sexy enough? Friends rejected my idea that his porn use was ruining our relationship. They told me to be sexier, more sexually responsive and available so that he wouldn’t look elsewhere. I tried all these things only to find they didn’t work. I ended up feeling like a failure, as a wife and a lover. Now I know, it wasn’t me.