Porn can be an incredibly debilitating issue for some. it seems to be more an issue with men than women, but both sexes can struggle with it to some degree.
I want to add a perspective based on my personal experience that I hope will help the serious seeker of freedom from all kinds of addictions, porn included.
Regardless of your struggle, understand first, that there is an urge for fulfillment of some kind. Drugs, alcohol, sex, and such activities are medications for misguided urges. Your ultimate question is rooted in your Creator, which might sound something like this: "What is my purpose?"
Also at our root, before we are flesh, blood, and bone, we are spirit, and at the center of that spirit, we are desire. Ultimately this is what we were created to be. Why? I don't have time to go into this here, but God himself created all things out of DESIRE. God's manifest creation came from his desire for it. It was for his pleasure.
Now, if you agree that you are made it God's image, then you see that we mirror this expression of God, that is, the desire. There is a fundamental difference between us and God though... besides the obvious fact that he's invisible and we're not (lol).
Think of God as the "Desire To Give" and think of his creation as the "Desire To Receive". I could go on and on about the importance of giving more (because that is ultimately the only way to become more like God... Jesus Christ being the ultimate example of giving). Anyway, back to my original point....
Your desire to receive, which is what you are at your core, has been jacked up by many things... your selfish desires, the devil, the world's influence, etc... all which are boiled down to your own ego. Porn is a quick fix to a desire for pleasure. There is nothing wrong with pleasure. Remember, God created YOU for his pleasure. That is the reason.
We use porn as a shortcut, because we are lazy, insecure, apathetic, whatever. There are many reasons... but the bottom line is, this avenue is a dead end. It will only increase your craving for the same thing, more of it, more extreme versions of it, until you are satiated (satisfied forever). The problem is that we are also built for sex (remember when God said "Be fruitful and multiply"?). in other words, part of our nature is to have sex. It's what we do (among other things, like work, sleep, eat, etc).
So, the ultimate point here is that you will NEVER be satiated with porn. The only two things porn gives you is 1) a quick fix that does not last, and 2) a desire for MORE. I don't just mean more in quantity. I mean more in quality or degree. In other words, you will be temporarily satisfied with a bowl of vanilla ice cream on your first visit to the ice cream store. But the next time, you will want chocolate sprinkles. You see where I'm going here. Before long, you will getting into banana splits and hot fudge sundaes.
For those who have read this rather long process of thought to this point, I want to add one more thing. You are loved, unconditionally love by your Creator. God is not mad at you when you fall into temptation. He wants nothing but the best for you. He wants you to stop the behaviors that cause you pain. Porn itself is known to lead to other activities that can ultimately end in your own demise. This isn't a doomsday statement to scare you. But the Bible and the human experience both show that the wages of sin is death. Sin is anything that isn't of the Light. We don't have to get preachy to understand this. It's not about a mean God in the sky who is throwing lightning bolts and people who screw up. Sin is what it is. It kills you.
But you are free to free yourself, and choose something else. This is your choice. Will you choose love? Will you give yourself a chance to be free?
I want to add a perspective based on my personal experience that I hope will help the serious seeker of freedom from all kinds of addictions, porn included.
Regardless of your struggle, understand first, that there is an urge for fulfillment of some kind. Drugs, alcohol, sex, and such activities are medications for misguided urges. Your ultimate question is rooted in your Creator, which might sound something like this: "What is my purpose?"
Also at our root, before we are flesh, blood, and bone, we are spirit, and at the center of that spirit, we are desire. Ultimately this is what we were created to be. Why? I don't have time to go into this here, but God himself created all things out of DESIRE. God's manifest creation came from his desire for it. It was for his pleasure.
Now, if you agree that you are made it God's image, then you see that we mirror this expression of God, that is, the desire. There is a fundamental difference between us and God though... besides the obvious fact that he's invisible and we're not (lol).
Think of God as the "Desire To Give" and think of his creation as the "Desire To Receive". I could go on and on about the importance of giving more (because that is ultimately the only way to become more like God... Jesus Christ being the ultimate example of giving). Anyway, back to my original point....
Your desire to receive, which is what you are at your core, has been jacked up by many things... your selfish desires, the devil, the world's influence, etc... all which are boiled down to your own ego. Porn is a quick fix to a desire for pleasure. There is nothing wrong with pleasure. Remember, God created YOU for his pleasure. That is the reason.
We use porn as a shortcut, because we are lazy, insecure, apathetic, whatever. There are many reasons... but the bottom line is, this avenue is a dead end. It will only increase your craving for the same thing, more of it, more extreme versions of it, until you are satiated (satisfied forever). The problem is that we are also built for sex (remember when God said "Be fruitful and multiply"?). in other words, part of our nature is to have sex. It's what we do (among other things, like work, sleep, eat, etc).
So, the ultimate point here is that you will NEVER be satiated with porn. The only two things porn gives you is 1) a quick fix that does not last, and 2) a desire for MORE. I don't just mean more in quantity. I mean more in quality or degree. In other words, you will be temporarily satisfied with a bowl of vanilla ice cream on your first visit to the ice cream store. But the next time, you will want chocolate sprinkles. You see where I'm going here. Before long, you will getting into banana splits and hot fudge sundaes.
For those who have read this rather long process of thought to this point, I want to add one more thing. You are loved, unconditionally love by your Creator. God is not mad at you when you fall into temptation. He wants nothing but the best for you. He wants you to stop the behaviors that cause you pain. Porn itself is known to lead to other activities that can ultimately end in your own demise. This isn't a doomsday statement to scare you. But the Bible and the human experience both show that the wages of sin is death. Sin is anything that isn't of the Light. We don't have to get preachy to understand this. It's not about a mean God in the sky who is throwing lightning bolts and people who screw up. Sin is what it is. It kills you.
But you are free to free yourself, and choose something else. This is your choice. Will you choose love? Will you give yourself a chance to be free?
