Nearly every man trying to rid himself of pornography has tried more times than he can count to start fresh, vowing never to go back, only to find himself back in the throes of his struggle and wondering what went wrong. There is a vicious cycle that must be broken before any real change takes place. So what is the first step? We find the answer in a story of a prostitute and her husband, a prophet.
It’s the story of Hosea.
In this tiny book, God tells the prophet Hosea to go and take Gomer, a prostitute, as his wife to create a picture of how God chooses us while we’re still unfaithful. That alone would be an encouraging tale. But the story doesn’t end there. Gomer, like the rest of us, eventually discovers she isn’t perfect and foolishly returns to prostitution and a wilderness of her own making.
But then something amazing happens: God tells Hosea to find her and bring her back home. Yes! God wants us back! But that still isn’t the best part! Hosea doesn’t scold her or condemn her or make her feel like trash and remind her that she is in the gutter – instead, he PAYS HER WAGE!
Did you get that? Hosea is her husband, not some john who has to pay for a trick. If anyone had a right to demand Gomer, it was Hosea. But he pays what she’s asking to bring her home. Why?
Because she has value. This is so critical to understand. Lust and pornography are rooted in a lack of love and low self-worth, but it’s impossible to treat someone like a sex object if you value their worth as an individual (Tweet This!). Furthermore, it is impossible to devalue yourself and trade the glory and grace of God in you for something worthless if you really knew your own worth.
Tips and tactics can never change your heart or correct the root issues behind actions. You don’t have a problem with lust… you have a problem realizing how much you are loved!
God loves you. You have great worth. Like Hosea’s wife, He knows the price your heart requires and will restore you in love. He loves you today – not “some day” when you are perfect and no longer need Him to help you get free. Because you’ll always need help; and He’ll always give it.
What Do A Prostitute and a Prophet Have to Do With Porn? More Than You Think by XXXchurch.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.