Christianity and Porn

Dr. Howard Hendricks studied 250 men who without a doubt were committed to Jesus Christ in full time ministry. Of the 250 men 246 failed due to sexual immorality. After interviewing the 246 he discovered:
  • None were involved in any kind of accountability group.
  • Each had ceased to invest in daily time of personal prayer, scripture reading and worship.
  • Over 80% of them became sexually involved with another woman as the result of counseling the woman.
  • Without exception, each of the 246 had been convinced that moral failure “will never happen to me.”

 

A Few Statistics: 

Family News in Focus, July 2005
42% of songs on ten top-selling CDs in 1999 contained sexual content, 41% of which were “very explicit” or “pretty explicit.”

From the results of a ChristiaNet poll reported by Marketwire.com
August 7, 2006: 50% of all Christian men and 20% of all Christian women are addicted to pornography. 60% of the women who answered the survey admitted to having significant struggles with lust; 40% admitted to being involved in sexual sin in the past year; and 20% of the church-going female participants struggle with looking at pornography on an ongoing basis.

A 1996 Promise Keepers survey at one of their stadium events revealed that over 50% of the men in attendance were involved with pornography within one week of attending the event.

National Coalition survey of pastors. Seattle. April 2000.
Out of 81 pastors surveyed (74 males 7 female), 98% had been exposed to porn; 43% intentionally accessed a sexually explicit website

National Opinion Research Letter
One in 4 American adults surveyed in 2002 admitted to seeing an x-rated movie in the last year.

Boom! 

Do you see a trend? Society is becoming more and more open to immorality as each day passes with the advance of streaming video on cell phones; I expect to see pornography in nearly every building, home and hand in America soon. I would be willing to bet every one of you have been exposed to some sort of pornography reading this letter. I can’t check my hotmail account without an ad banner on the right of my screen flashing a seductive image with each mail I open. I used to think only people who have visited porn sites would get pornography emails until I started receiving bulk quantities at work on a machine only I have access to that I have never looked at porn on.

  

Temptation? 

Is it a sin?

Speaking personally with you; my struggle has always been thinking that temptation is a sin. It is not! Jesus Christ who is without sin or blemish was exposed to a bombardment of temptation. I think this is the first line of attack from Satan. After we think we have already sinned because of seeing the unavoidable temptation we figure “why not I already sinned?”I am just a simple man who has made inumerable mistakes. I won’t claim to have whooped the inner struggle with giving in to this temptation but I pray speaking openly of how I handle this attack on morality may help in another’s struggle.

  

Why Do We Fail? 

Why do we fail so many times? “We are not living the life we were meant to live!” If you are a believer you have been given an amazing gift! (If you are unsure of your faith please click here and take a quick test)

  

Death to Sin! 

The 6th chapter of Romans has the answer! Verses 1-10 tell us that when we became Christians the old self is gone and we are born again as a new creation in Christ.

Verse 11 tells us to count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Verses 11-14 give US the POWER to overcome sin! Lust is not a master over you! It is God’s grace that we are under. Charles Stanley puts it like this: “We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to overcome sin. We have the power through Christ’s death on the cross, His resurrection, and our relationship to Him to say no to sin. Generally, the battle is not fought at the moment of temptation. It is fought for some time beforehand, when we begin to entertain evil thoughts sent by the enemy. The thought itself is not a sin. But entertaining it, fantasizing or daydreaming over it, is sin.”

Your Walk! 

Sounds like a good plan and I really believe it but why am I failing? I want you to read and re-read the following verse: Galatians 5:16: “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”

How is your walk with Christ? Without putting on the armor of God (Eph 6:11) you leave yourself open to the darts that pierce your lustful desires! You MUST replace idle time. I know how hard it is doing the daily grind and all you want to do is come home, turn the tube on and relax but be aware; Satan does not rest! He will catch you when you’re tired and that favorite game show will have the ladies come out with the cases dressed in a manner that only brings about a cycle you know all to well!

Slavery? 

There is no other answer other than becoming a servant to Christ and breaking free from the slavery of lust! Start with daily prayer. Even if you mess up, don’t believe the lies whispered from the deceiver!
  • Prayer is the first action period. We will win more battles on our knees.
  • Grow in the knowledge of the Lord. We must understand what we are supposed to do and I assure you every answer is in Gods word but it won’t get in your head via osmosis! Read the bible as if you are starved and it is a steak dinner! Get a bible you understand such as an NIV, NKJV or ASV or whatever you prefer, read slowly and ask the lord to show you his message.
  • I suggest fasting. Skip a meal or more and spend that time in prayer
  • Find an accountability partner not someone who watches the race and talks about what you can see for the beads!
  • Serve! Become active in a church; attend the prayer meetings or bible studies. Give something back for a change and volunteer yourself.

What if I Fail Again? 

Get back on the bike!

VERY IMPORTANT! If you fall off the bike get back on! I hope you won’t screw up, I thought I would not after listening to my own words but I did! Come to think of it I failed after being tired and working many hours and going several weeks without reading my bible or daily devotionals and limiting my prayers to only before bed… I did not put on the full armor of God!

  

VICTORY! 

In Jesus!

If you devote yourself to Christ you will be amazed at the inner peace and happiness that will bless you. The trials that come your way will be nothing more than an exercise program to strengthen your faith, and you will see and give thanks to God. WHAT? Give thanks for pain? Friend, I am not saying you will lose all you have but if you go to the gym what must you do to make those muscles strong and lose the fat? You work out. How will you know if Christ will deliver you if you are not tested? I have been blessed with trials that show me the glory and power of Christ. I have no doubt in my savior because he has not only saved me from myself but he has saved me physically, mentally and financially in mighty ways!

We have been promised power to overcome the lusts of our flesh. When temptation comes your way, allow the moment to pass, ask for Christ’s help in not giving in and claim a victory in the most powerful name known; Jesus!

Accessing your risk! 

How do you think you will do? Take this test and see…

  1. Do you spend personal time with the Lord in prayer and reading scripture at least three times a week?
  2. Are there at least one or two men in your life with whom you have built a friendship based on trust, confidentiality, and accountability?
  3. Are you currently spending significant time with attractive women other than your wife?
  4. Are you absolutely sure you will finish your Christian Life Strong?

The Results are in…

One wrong answer and you are at risk, two wrong and you are at moderate risk, three wrong and you are at bad risk and all four wrong you are dead meat! Each of the 246 men who failed because of sexual immorality gave the same four answers you did. It’s not a matter of if it will happen to you; it’s a matter of when.

Correct answers: 1.YES 2.YES 3.NO 4.NO

About the author

I hurt, I cry, I love and I live. I am just a man with no degrees or labels. I offer something that can never be taken or forced, never stolen or cheated and I give freely the gift given to me; purchased at the highest cost. The most important and sacred gift of all -Love! Dig deeper, walk with me and discover the source of this amazing gift. This site is designed to inspire Christians to reach for a new level in becoming kingdom minded and less worldly. While it may seem that I assume everyone is a Christian; that could not be further from the truth. I understand that the Christian movement has not grown in ages in America. My personal mission is to share Jesus Christ by giving the living testimony of my life and trust in the power of the Holy Spirit to inspire and convict. Put simply, I am powerless and lowly but the Spirit within me is only limited by how much I get in the way. I am learning to “walk”. All too often people are shown the gospel of Christ and then left to figure the rest out on their own so to speak. It is my prayer that the journey or “The Walk” will not be alone, that we will become what we were designed to be: -We are the Church!

2 comments

  • dennis says:
    February 16, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    I am a born again Christian, I like watching porn, I do not hurt women, I am not a pedophile. I am hurting no one. Please tell me what exactly is wrong with porn.

  • Scott says:
    February 16, 2011 at 5:47 pm

    What’s up Dennis, thanks for your comment! 1st, I never said people who watch porn hurt women or are pedophiles. God knows, I never did and watched my share of porn. Since you are a born again Christian, let me ask you a question. Would you feel comfortable sitting next to Jesus while watching your favorite star get a shocker? How about if your mom came to visit, would you pull up redtube and say hey Mom, check this fisting scene out? If so, maybe your not a Christian after all but I have a feeling your answer is no. It is no because you know in your heart it is wrong, that would be conviction. I’m not being rude just real man.

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