via TJC
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” ~Romans 12:1-2
“Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” ~2 Timothy 2:22.
So, neighbor you asked me a question. Is pornography wrong? How wrong is it? Well, I’ll tell you, I’m sure most Christian men would answer the question. “Yes, it is wrong." We’d be quick to answer that way because we are “Christian Men” and that’s what we’re supposed to say. But the truth of the matter is we know it’s wrong, we just don’t really believe that it's “that wrong”. Well I mean, it is super wrong if I get caught…
Real talk… Most of us had our first encounter with a pornographic image before we were 11 years old. For some they were repulsed or didn’t find it appealing for other reasons like it’s a 2D image, “how could that possibly bring me pleasure or satisfaction?” For many of us, that first image was hook, the taste, and we chased it in more images and then in our relationships for years to come. For Kingdom Men who are in this fight we must acknowledge that pornography strives to be a part of us like an old wayward and dishonest friend. It is not something that is “over there” that we can keep at arm’s length.
Pornography hurts. It’s wrong because it hurts God’s children. It hurts us His sons, it hurts His daughters, it hurts the brothers coming behind us and it hurts our relationships. The lie works because in the moment, it seems like no one is getting hurt. The truth is as sons, we take what we see and project that lie like it’s OK. It’s not OK, it’s not God’s standard. Why, because pornography is a counterfeit, a fantasy trying to confuse and cheapen what is real. But we “love” the lie and the machismo. We believe that when we get married we’ll have sex on demand, our wife will always be ready and willing. Since we were young, the fantasy that the girl that delivers our pizza or wears a mini-skirt wants to have sex has played on repeat in our minds. She is there to please us. When this lie doesn’t translate into our real world experience we wonder what’s wrong with her, or us. But we don’t ask what’s wrong with the plot line. There is a saying, “you can’t unsee what is seen.” This is the poison that is delivered each time men watch porn. We take the images and project them and compel the women in our lives to participate and behave in a way that demeans them at best. We are to see women the way Christ does. We are to treat older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity (1 Timothy 5:2) not like the producers of this multi-billion dollar industry do, like a commodity for your pleasure or escape.
Finally, it’s harmful to the generations of brothers coming behind us. For you older, more mature men who have been in this fight: Raise the bar. Teach younger men the difference between the Standard and what it counterfeit. Teach them WHY it’s counterfeit and harmful. Be honest with your story. There is no room for embarrassment or tip-toeing. Likewise, if you are a Kingdom Man that never really struggled on this front because it never appealed to you, praise the Lord for early deliverance and speak that truth into the lives of the young men around you. They will listen! For you younger men, this battle is difficult, very difficult, but winnable. You can and will find FREEDOM. At its core, this battle wars against your soul, and through you against the women you interact with. At the most personal level. I learned from an older man certain pitfalls to avoid. Even better to learn from trusted older men specific positive steps to take.
Daily Battle Order:
Kingdom Men, this is a real battlefield and we are getting killed. Despite society encouraging it and church culture excusing it in private, (though we denounce it in public) pornography wreaks havoc! As Kingdom Men have to take pornography seriously. We are not calling this out so that you feel shame and go into deeper hiding. Nor are we trying to help you “manage’ your porn exposure or modify your behavior. We want you to violently go after this sins because it's the insidiousness that will kill. James 1:14-15 tells us “but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” The lie is strong. Pornography does exactly what it is designed to do: Steal, Kill and Destroy. You have to draw a line in the sand. You have to find victory! If you need help contact the Joshua Commission. We have the resources to pull you off of the battlefield so you can get healed, equipped and free so that you can help the generations of brothers behind you. We can pair you with other Kingdom Men with whom you can trust your life. No man was called to walk these battles alone.
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The more I read this DBO, the more angry I became. I hate pornography. It enslaved me for years. Between abortion and deceiving Americans that God is not real, porn must be third or fourth on the Enemy's list to destroy/prevent Believers. I have started EMAPW with Chris A. and a couple other men. Although we are only in Lesson #6, I am seeing major victories left and right in my life, and even in the lives of men who are not in EMAPW, but are hearing my takeaways from it.