Pornography
I know that many people will probably not read even to this line, but I write this because of the fact that if Christian men stopped supporting pornography, it would be crushed. Christians are the number one sponsors. You may feel as though you don’t need or want to read this, but I sincerely hope you do, for someone down the road may need the help. I feel that God called me to write this, for me, and for you.
We hate lust, but yet we still go back to it--behold, the power of Satan. It’s getting harder and harder to tell who are Christians and who aren’t. We must separate from evil and be known by our love, not lust. Yes, women are beautiful. It’s no newsflash. To try to understand the power of lust, picture the event of the millennium, whatever that may be to you, a football game or a trip to the Arctic; think of all the glory of it, then picture a naked model suddenly walking by. Every eye is going to somehow forget the game or the polar bear on an iceberg. Lust is that powerful.
Hefner is the owner of Playboy. He, along with millions of others, has searched for love and happiness through lust and failed to find it. The one true love, Yehoshuah (Jesus), the only one that will give you living water, was never found by them, and even sadder, possibly never shown in the proper way. They will know we are Christians by our love… not lust. A perfect girl is not a model in lingerie but rather the one who will stick by you with love and respect by saying the words, “I do.” (Ecclesiastes 9:9)
Pornography never gives a lasting satisfaction; you’ll always need more. One hundred years ago companies like Playboy, Hooters, and Victoria’s Secret would have outraged people, and the punishment for promoting pornography (yes it was a crime at that time) would have been prison time. In 1865 Abraham Lincoln made it illegal to send anything obscene through the mail, punishable by 5 or more years in prison. By his definition the magazines on the racks at your local grocery store would be illegal. Truly the beast of lust is growing.
We all, at some point in our lives, try to rationalize sin. Unfortunately, shame is about the only thing that bothers some people when it comes to pornography. Here are some things that I’ve heard. “It’s a freedom! My right to do what I want!” True. You are also free to rob, murder, rape, and talk really loud at the library, but how long will the true earthly freedom last? Will you ignore the freedom God has given you from sin? “There’s no real deception in Playboy.” Heather Kozar, a Playboy playmate, on the Howard Stern show in June 1999 stated, “I’m a born again Christian who has set her own rules.” Set her own rules? Looks like you’re not the only one deceived by Playboy. Miss November will never be Miss December under any circumstances in Playboy. The reason is the guys have just seen the one and they’ve not seen the other. They want someone new now. That alone proves that pornography gets boring. Playboy used her and she’ll never be a playmate again. “My kids don’t need me to teach them about sex, they learn stuff like that on their own or at school.” (Proverbs 22:6) Yes they do learn, from a school that has kicked God out and where giving in to temptation is referred to as ‘safe (premarital and whenever you feel like it) sex’. The after-effects of not teaching your children will be catastrophic. If you look at the teen magazines, you’ll see pages of things to make the girls look better and articles on the joys of sex, but nothing much about inner beauty. Why? Because our children have stopped caring about themselves. Why? Because we have stopped showing a caring love for one another. “I’m not really supporting them.” Every time we support pornography, we keep women imprisoned in a world of pain that words cannot tell. Even just looking and not buying on the Internet supports the industry because it has sold ad spaces for money that you helped create by visiting their site. “It’s just a drawing, an artist's conception.” It’s failed conception of the beauty that God intended. Lust is still sin. “They’re just gentlemen’s clubs for adult entertainment.” What do you suppose Jesus would call them? What would you call them if your family were forced to perform in them? “I’m addicted.” Addictions are voluntary, so volunteer not to be in sin. God always has a way out for you. Don’t be addicted to the idea that you can’t get out. “Why doesn’t God just take away our lust?” In Luke 8:53-55 Jesus raised a girl from the dead. He did the impossible. Then He said to get her something to eat. Why didn’t He do that too? Because the Lord will handle all of our impossible opponents but will leave the ones that are possible up to us. Yes, He will help, but do not ask Him to do it for you. “I’ve sinned so much in the past and I still do. When I ask for forgiveness will He forgive me?” If you were true in your heart and strive to do better, then yes, His answer will be, “What did you do? I forgot. Oh well. I love you.” (Psalms 103:12) “What if we both agree to pornography?” If you both agree to murder, it is still not right. Sin is sin; whether it’s ok with your wife is irrelevant. “Playboy has good articles.” So does National Geographic, along with thousands of other magazines that don’t hurt women. “I just admire them. It’s not lustful.” Do you admire your wife and God? Then don’t be admiring others in the same way. (Exodus 34:14) The only one more jealous of your eyes than your wife is God. “I won’t get caught.” (Luke 12:2) Everything will be found out. “They want it.” Women may act like they are enjoying great pleasure, but that’s all it is, an act. In fact, pornographic movies are often rape on film, it just doesn’t look like it. “God gave us these desires.” No He did not. (1st John 2:16) “It’s legal for me to view it. I’m a single male who’s over 21. I’m of age.” Would you view it with Jesus? What does God think ‘of age’ is? “It doesn’t hurt anyone.” (Ephesians 4:30) (James 1:14-16) Lust is sin, and sin put Jesus on the cross and grieves God… hurting no one? What about the women? Don’t allow yourself to rationalize sin. Read on.
Pornography destroys the testimony of Christ that is presented through you. If you are a known believer and fall into this trap, others will view you as a hypocrite. The single greatest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and go on living like the rest of the world. Unbelievers find this unbelievable. Your pornography can destroy someone else’s soul. Eternal murder. Guard and cherish your testimony, don’t let the devil destroy it. Yes I said ‘let him’. We let him. (Luke 4:1-13) When Satan tempted Jesus, the devil could not throw Christ over a cliff, he could not harm Jesus and he can’t harm you… unless you let him. There is nothing that comes your way that you cannot overcome with God.
Don’t kid yourself, the women of pornography are on drugs, sexually molested, raped, deceived, traumatized, beaten, and threatened with their lives if they don’t perform. (Matthew 5:28) What type of rapists are we when we look at these poor souls lustfully? We mentally rape them to fulfill lustful desires… or rather feed lustful desires, since lust is never quenched, like hell’s fire. First lingerie ads satisfy, but after a while you need more; you go from that to Playboy, to Internet, to videos, to phone sex lines, to rape, to child molestation, to bestiality. And before you say, ‘not me,’ remember, those words are uttered by everyone. Rape is set in the mind as fun by many websites. The sad fact is that even if pornography does not take you to this level, you are supporting the very thing that is the instruction material for such people. Pornography may not turn us into rapists, but it does shape our attitudes towards women, sex, and sin. Ted Bundy raped and killed at least 28 women. He started his journey downward with a simple viewing of a lingerie ad. If he could fall, then don’t be deceived, so could you, so could I. Flee from temptation! (2nd Timothy 2:22)
These women may be mothers and wives, and every one of them is someone’s daughter and God’s creation. When we think of this, can we still feel lust? Would Jesus show lust or compassion for the women who are mislead and abused? He would show a great concern for them. Drugs and alcohol are used as a way of escape for them, but that way is no real escape. If they only knew the Way you and I know. They can, but not by our lust.
What will our children be watching ten years from now? Soap operas are bad enough, but if you stay up late enough you see ads for phone sex. The main topic on TV is sex. It’s no surprise that more then 95% of TV broadcasters are ok with abortion, homosexuality, and over 80% are fine with adultery. Before 1960, partial nudity and sexual reference were not allowed on TV; now we find this on almost every station. In 1975, 5% of films were rated R; today, over 65% are. Why? Kids want to be like adults and they view PG movies as immature. So the demand has increased and is being filled. I don’t usually do this, but I’m going to repeat myself, “Kids want to be like adults” …they want to be like us. We need to dwell on this for a while. If we are going to help our children, then we had better start improving ourselves first. Is what you are viewing pleasing God? Don’t allow any form of lust on your TV monitor. If you have channels that are bad, remove them. Don’t give Satan the remote control. He’ll use it. Chances are that if you wouldn’t watch it with Jesus, then you should not be viewing it. We have the power to pass on lust to children, but do we want to? Do you want your children to be destroyed by lust? I hope your answer is ‘no’, shouted.
Remember the TV commercial that said, “Parents who do drugs, have children who do drugs.” Well the only desire more powerful in the human mind than the desire to survive is lust. That’s right. Lust is the most powerful drug. So powerful, many Christian men have fallen away from God and their families, spending more time and thought to lust than on either of the others. While there are some that fail, fewer children will fall into the deception of pornography if they come from moral Christian homes, but few of those homes educate their children about the evil that is out there. Do not tempt them, educate them. Tell them of the trap; don’t show them and therefore push them into it. Christian parents! Do your job well. The future is counting on you.
What then can we do in the battle against lust? Here are a few ideas and a few musts; do them all. (Luke 4:1-13) Jesus defeated the devil with Scripture. So put on some strength with the right diet of food from the Word of God and prayer. There are two types of prayer; one is done after, and the other before defeat has a chance. Tape pictures of your children, wife, pastor, and friends on the sides of your computer as a gentle step to know that someone loves you, and you don’t want to hurt them with sin. It will help you if you ever stumble onto a porn site. (1 Corinthians 6:18) Flee from sin! Fast! Run as fast as you can! (Proverbs 27:17) We need fellowship. Without it we become weak, so seek out fellowship online and off. Find a pastor or Christian men who will keep matters private yet hold you accountable to change. (James 5:16) If you hold someone, and someone holds you, accountable, it helps greatly. Discuss all of your victories and defeats. Ask the other if he has prayed earnestly and what you can pray for them about. If you don’t know anyone, then pray for one and seek one out at church. To guard against phone sex, call the phone company and have them disable your ability to call 900 numbers. Even if you have no temptation, it being gone will hurt no one. If we want to be alone due to shame, then do we really need to be alone? Don’t allow yourself to be alone. Don’t be on the Internet in private or wherever Satan may attack you with lust. (1 John 1:5-7) Have fellowship with God. If you fall into sin when you go to a certain store, or if you think there might be temptation there, then don’t go there, and let the owners know why. Remember, if enough of us Christians stop supporting pornography or even the idea of it, we will crush it. Let those you do business with know that you are glad they don’t sell pornography. (Job 31:1) Say that verse every time lust presents itself. Remember what it says in Philippians 4:8? Stay focused. Destroy anything that triggers lust for you or someone else. Wives, don’t expose your husbands to lingerie catalogs, they don’t need to see it modeled on anyone but you. Utterly destroy all of your pornographic material! Don’t recycle sin.
The best way out is to stay focused on Yehoshuah (Jesus). If you keep His company by your side and Word in your heart 24/7, then you will be able to defeat Satan’s plan for you and live God's plan out! God meant for us to have a real relationship, so don’t spend your time in lust. (Luke 16:13) You can feed one, but not without starving the other to death. The deeper the pit, the harder it is to get out, so don’t get in. If you are trapped, then do what was recommended above. There are groups on the rise that want it to be legal to have sex with children at any age. If you haven’t figured it out, pornography is a downward spiral. The only way back up is with Christ. This battle is constant, so be sure to be in prayer and read the Word of God daily. Every Christian is a minister in one way or another… what are you ministering? Is it the one-way method or…other? Does your lust for others overpower your love of God? Lust is the death of love, family, and testimony. May you never hurt your loved ones with lust!
We will stand before God. Let’s not invite the devil to our trial. If you’re trapped in pornography, whether in it, or viewing it, always remember the Lord knows you by name and loves you. He wants you to return to Him. He loves the real you. There is a way out! Jesus! I’ll be of any further help that I can be, though not as much help as God. Feel free to e-mail me. Godspeed. --Trent