Just cuz it’s long been that way in the world, doesn’t mean it’s gotta say that way with you.
Many are getting caught in the web if you know what I mean. Many social sites have become prolific with their "semi-artistic" and hardcore porn photos and vids, and now even little kids are getting caught up in it. Choose not to follow just any hedonistic person -- you really don't need to follow so many unvetted people, or have masses of followers to validate your worth. You have great value without them.
A lot of Culture wars sure aren’t popular these days, but “how do we expect men to respect women when we degrade women as sex objects?” ~ Liz Wheeler
Do you want to become.. do you desire to end up like a vessel of wood, or of clay...or of gold, or of silver?
Do you want to used of God..so blessed..used for things of honor while here on this earth?
Listen, your person has huge value to God (Jesus in love came here and died in my place, in your place--to redeem us), but will you be like some cheaper type of vessel here, or some total cracked pot type, used for things of dishonor? I mean not of value to other people here? We each choose.
Again, you may thinking or askin’, “Well, can’t all types of vessels can be used of God–they indeed can’t they be."
The answer is, yes, but you really don’t want to be used as a vessel for dishonor. No you don’t. No one does.
God can use a vessel of clay, wood, silver or gold so to speak, but guess what.. He won’t use one that’s dirty. Why? Well, cuz this just doesn’t represent who He really is to a lost and strayin’ sideways kinda world.
God loves you, but He is just and way-holy as well. Have you been out of hope lately?
People have messed up and need a second chance? We have a living hope–Jesus is the one door in. The Bible says…
"Then I will give her her vineyards from there, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope and expectation [anticipating the time when I will restore My favor on her]. And she will sing there and respond as in the days of her youth as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.” Hosea 2:15 amp
We can repent and believe–there is hope for our nation. Do you know Him ..I don’t mean merely know of Him.. but really know Him yet? He creates, and no worries if you’ve blown it bad.. He also recreates.
It’s interesting to me that Paul uses this type of vessel illustration in Romans 9:21-23, although with a different emphasis:
God loves you, but He is just and way-holy as well. Have you been out of hope lately?
People have messed up and need a second chance? We have a living hope–Jesus is the one door in. The Bible says…
"Then I will give her her vineyards from there, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope and expectation [anticipating the time when I will restore My favor on her]. And she will sing there and respond as in the days of her youth as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.” Hosea 2:15 amp
We can repent and believe–there is hope for our nation. Do you know Him ..I don’t mean merely know of Him.. but really know Him yet? He creates, and no worries if you’ve blown it bad.. He also recreates.
It’s interesting to me that Paul uses this type of vessel illustration in Romans 9:21-23, although with a different emphasis:
What does God in the Bible ask? “Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory…”
In that context, the Apostle Paul is emphasizing God’s sovereign right to do as He pleases with His own creation. Sure, as a good potter, He can do whatever He wants to with His clay, and the clay has no right really to challenge the good potter.
God regenerates inside–He alone can save. But remember.. in 2 Timothy 2:20-21, Paul’s emphasis is on our own responsibility to cleanse ourselves from the defilement of sin.
We just don’t have time for filthy porn when you think about it (and so much is aimed to lure into addiction. See like grey areas x or xx with some clothes on.. aren’t so gray anymore). We just don’t have time for what’s over the line – anywhere or in any form really. Like in "art". Am listening to Charlie Kirk . What about Jesus, porn, and the role of Government?
God has a plan for your life – how can we be a good witness for Jesus with that habit?
Turn and trust Him. Ask, confess, repent and believe. Admit it and quit it–the perverse cyber-weirdness and impure cyber-flirting.
What is wrong with viewing pornography, if I don't lust after the person? Is it always lust to look at sensual pornographic images?
Should I tell my spouse about my pornography addiction? Since it would cause so much pain, shouldn't a pornography addiction be kept a secret?
Got questions about Sin? What is the definition of sin? How can I know if something is a sin? What is the unpardonable sin?
Is same-sex attraction a sin? Is it only homosexual actions that are sinful, or are same-sex attractions and/or temptations also a sin?
Are all sins equal to God? Is all sin the same? Are anger and murder equal to God? Are lust and adultery equal to God?
What does the Bible say about sensuality? We are human beings such sensual creatures? If God created us to be sensual, why is sensuality wrong?
Is sexting a sin? Is so called sexting a sin between unmarried people? Uh, yes. Stop it. Is sexting a sin between a husband and his wife?
What should be the Christian perspective on nudity in art? Is is right for a Christian to look at, or create, art that involves nudity?
What is the lust of the flesh? What is the meaning of 1 John 2:16?
What makes sexual sin such a big deal? Are sexual sins worse sins than other types of sin? Why is sexual sin such a strong temptation?
What does it mean that we are not to love the world? Why is it wrong to love this corrupt world system? I see God-created-beauty in nature and in people He made.. so what aspect of the world are we not to love?
What is the pride of life? Why is it wrong to have pride in the things you have accomplished?
How can I get rid of lustful thoughts? What does the Bible say about overcoming lustful thoughts?
I say early meditate and muse upon (each verse in it's own context):
- Pro 27:20 Hell and Destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
- Pro 6:25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids.
- Pro 11:6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, but the unfaithful will be caught by their lust.
–Eze 23:11 - Now although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.
- Mat 5:28 - But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
- 1 Jo 2:16 ..For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
- 1 Jo 2:17 ..and the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (Read more…)
Pornography can be described as visual images or a video, or descriptive writings, or impure speech that is seen and heard for the purpose of arousing inner lustful sexual desires. The term derives from two Greek words: porne prostitute and graphen ("to write).
Pornoographic material comes not only in various media but in varying degrees of taste like with titillating photos and writings to the most grotesquely, (often violent), immoral and perverted materials. Has anyone ever talked with you about the beautiful side of evil yet? Mr. Lucifer was once a beautiful angel before he fell due to pride and rebellion and he has been studying people here for centuries.
Pornography is both a symptom and a cause of the widespread immorality and corruption of modern society. It reaches people of all age levels through a multibillion-dollar industry including movies, digital books, digital magazines, literature, videos for home use or for viewing in hotel rooms, and phone messages available to children as well as adults. The subject matter of these pornographic media include every imaginable perversion: homosexuality, rape, incest, sadism, bestiality, bisexuality, and the sexual exploitation of children. Why live the lie? Why live a double life of hypocrisy? Become the leader you were called to be.
The Real Problem with Pornography -- It Is Deceptive.
The vivid descriptions and the airbrushed photos and movies of naked women and men are a fantasy. Pornography purposely diverts sex away from its intended meaning and does not enhance natural sexual appetites or the intended satisfaction. But rather it desensitizes them. It is often an attempt by the user to heal wounds that were caused by deep loneliness, by rejection, by cold isolation, and the pain of some people who are unable to measure up to expectations.
Guess what, it is also corrupting.
Pornography leads inevitably into the sin of lust, which warps an individual's perception of self and their sexuality. Why begin to see people as objects.
Respect and self-esteem plunge -- there’s guilt, (sometimes confusion) and shame. Normal marital relationships often dissolve through disinterest or conflict. Due to disloyalty. The spouse says they can't compete with all those modified or unmodified photos etc. For some users, pornography leads to really deviant sexual behavior, to addiction, and into sex crimes.
What begins as a simple incursion into the fantasy world of sex can lead to depression and a must seek it out obsession. As with drugs and alcohol, prolonged and uncontrolled use of porn is degenerative and the progressive effect on the human mind and the personal morals of a person become reduced to sexual gratification by whatever means.
The user becomes dependent upon increasingly racy material to satisfy mental and physical demands.
It Is Spiritually Deadening.
Demography desensitizes and corrupts moral and spiritual values; pornography and healthy-spirituality cannot coexist in a person:
"For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and
these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that
you wish." (Galatians 5:17).
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life— is not from the Father but from the world. The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God remains forever.." 1 John 2:15-17
For centuries lust has alienated people from God.
"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is
life and peace" (Romans 8:6).
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived.., Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body… Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who
commits sexual immorality sins against his own body." (1 Corinthians 6:9,13,18).
Lust must be avoided.
"Do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in
its lusts" (Romans 6:12).
"Flee sexual immorality" (1 Corinthians 6:18).
Lust ends in spiritual death.
Porn and lust warps an individual's self worth and self-esteem -- it leads them into horrific deviant sexual behavior. You’ve seen how many perverts then try to cover their wicked sins -- they go on to commit those crimes we see on The First 48.
"For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live" (Romans 8:13).
"Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death" (James 1:15).
Helpful Strategy:
*Pray and commit to zero mixed sowing, I mean to the flesh or to the world, but then to some pure sowing to the Spirit. Pure sowing is far better -- (seek and worship Christ with all your heart) sow to the Spirit in the word, prayer, church fellowship, witnessing.
*Commend the person for seeking out help in matters beyond his or her control.. and where they have some control. Express your willingness to encourage and righteously help them as you can--perhaps take them to a local Bible study fellowship where they can gain some healthy friendships. Sometimes married older people who lose their ability to perform, or testosterone drive, or spouse seek to recover it all. For some of them a doctor can recommend the right vitamins etc to help them with this, instead of all those images they pick up to feel something again.
*Because pornography-use is mainly a spiritual prob (at it’s root) as well as a moral problem, the inquirer must seek deliverance from personal sins and immoral sexual behaviors too:
PORNOGRAPHY takes one downwards.
Ask if they inquirer has experienced the new spiritual birth (John 3:3) to find out if they are a real Christian, then invite him or her to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. Point them towards establishing an ongoing relationship with the Son of God, the Father and the Spirit of God,
Explain that involvement with climaxing through pornography is often an attempt on the part of the user to try and solve their painful problems of loneliness, isolation, pain, or guilt in an attempt to play.
Jesus suffered too. He bore our sin and our sorrows. We must cast all our frustrations and anxiety and cares upon Him.
“...be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 5:5-10).
It’s SO sad and surprising to discover just how many Christians, including pastors and leaders are involved in some phase (x, xx, xxx) of pornography and its consequences. Providing help and healing for your inquirer will depend on the type of addiction and the level of involvement with the church they experience.
The person may have been agonizing over the addiction for years. Ensure the person of our sympathy and desire to encourage them in the faith, and to be of righteous help as well. We do not sit in judgment and will prayerfully suggest a possible procedure.
The individual must accept the full weight of their problem:
A Frankly, just face the truth of addiction to lust through pornography.
B. Boldly confront the problem with the Lord's help and attitude. People don’t need the condemning. Hopefully there won’t be any blame-shifting, or denial, rationalizations, or the typical minimizing of it.
C. Take responsibility for immediate action. This means to stop feeding the addiction. Why throw gas on the fire? You don’t feed lust, you starve it to death.
(1) Destroy all pornographic materials.
(2) Immediately stop visits to all places of temptation, such as
pornographic movies, sites, adult bookstores, or video stores.
(3) Sever any relationships that have encouraged the addiction.
(4) Begin a serious effort to build or rebuild a godly life. Full and ultimate
freedom and restoration will demand a sincere commitment to seeking
God daily. Typically in a marriage when the trust is all gone, the marriage is soon to go. Rebuild the trust--it takes time.
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" (Psalm 42:1-2).
"And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13) (see also mark 9:29, Philippians 3:7-17)
Godliness can be enjoyed with the holy fear of God. It can be had.. found as one submits to Christ's Lordship through the basic disciplines of the word in connection with a healthy church fellowship.
Pray without ceasing:
(1) Include sincere daily confession of all known sins (1 John 17,9). Until truly God’s experiencing deliverance from the lust and addiction to pomography, special attention should be given to confession (Psalm 51; Mark 7:20-22; 1 John 1:7).
(2) Daily renunciation of conformity to this corrupt world in all its forms. (Romans 12:2, 6:13-14).
(3) Cultivation of an intimate relationship with Christ John 10:10; 15:5-7; Ephesians 3:14-19, Philippians 3:10-14).
(4) A daily offering up of one's body as a "living sacrifice" to God (Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
(5) Worship and praise in prayer John 4:23-24; Philippians 3:3; Revelation 4:8-11).
(6) Thanksgiving to God (Philippians 4:6-7. Colossians 4:2). Maintain a tender heart with your Bible reading, with a willingness to change and be changed.
A. Supplication or petition (Philippians 4:6-7; Hebrews 4:16).
B. The Word of God: In a battle to gain spiritual renewal and transformation of the mind, one needs to commit oneself to the reading, study, and memorization of the Bible (Romans 8:7; 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6).
C Dependence on the Holy Spirit all through the day (Romans 8:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
D. Seeking honest intimate fellowship with God (Philippians 3:10-14). He knows it all anyways. Bring in out into the light rather than hiding it all in the dark. Be quick to go tell on yourself to him.
5 Establish fellowship links with spiritually minded Christians, which mean:
A. Becoming actively involved in a Christ-centered Bible teaching church for accountability is smart (one led by a born again, spiritual pastor and team).
B. Be super careful.. no texting, sexting, messaging those people that don’t really need to hear from you but could bring you or them into temptation. Burning bridges or any site-links so to speak to the past--including the surrender of all previous relationships and the cultivation of new ones (with growing believers).
C. Set up a network of candid trustworthy Christian accountability, making oneself subject to a mature christians (not always a pastor) or a group of Christians to whom the person can report on a regular basis so that spiritual progress may be monitored. Interfacing with such a person or group will supply encouragement and spiritual guidance.
NOTE: It is at this point that spiritual pride, renewed denial, and rationalization are likely to be a big problem again if not cautious...looking to the Lord to meet all personal needs.
(7) It might be advisable to recommend that your inquirer seek the professional help of a Born again Christian psychologist or psychiatrist who adheres to the Essentials and follows biblical principles of counseling. The addiction to lust and pornography may have its roots in the pain of a wounded childhood or dysfunctional family. A more in-depth treatment may be indicated in order to rebuild the communication and relationships with a spouse or family. Your spouse is worth fighting for. Fight the good fight of faith and together with the Holy Spirit and Jesus as Lord...overcome it! Fish4Souls.org
"The night this present evil age is almost gone and the day of Christ’s return is almost here. So let us fling away the works of darkness and put on the full armor of light. Let us conduct ourselves properly and honorably as in the light of day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and irresponsibility, not in quarreling and jealousy. But clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for nor even think about gratifying the flesh in regard to its improper desires." Romans 13:12-14 Amp
Clothe yourself with Him who is pure, with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself even think about ways in trying to "satisfy" or indulge your evil desires.. how to gratify any sort of evil desire.
