There is no magic wand that magically makes our problems go away. The Lord can deliver us instantly from pornography and some people have had that experience. And some people are set free over the course of time. But hear the critical information: PEOPLE DO OVERCOME PORNOGRAPHY! Being set free is a twofold process. We know the stopping part. Stop looking at the computer without any accountability. Stop looking at women/men as objects. Stop making allowances to view porn. So once we stop these things what do we do? Stare at a wall? Take cold showers? This is where we get tripped up. We stop in our own strength and willpower and fail to take the second step. We have to trust in God’s power to change us and develop new thoughts and habits. As we embrace a new path we will find a power that we did not know we had.
It’s like what I experienced this past January. I LOVE coffee! But I fasted from it for 21 days. The first 3-4 days were horrible (caffeine withdrawal is no joke) but I got through it. I was able to maintain my composure through the twenty-one days because I had no intention of permanently stopping my coffee drinking. I could not imagine spending the rest of my life without coffee! I knew before the finish that I planned to drink again. That’s the way it is with porn. Some of us go clean for a few days. Then somewhere along the way our minds start to wander and we make up our minds early in the day that no matter what time we get home, we are popping on the computer.
Richard Pryor, one of the greatest comedians of all time, had a notorious drug problem. He literally caught on fire one night as a result of his drug use. He would stop using drugs only to start back using drugs. Why? It scared him. He has said that he was afraid to live life clean from drugs. He was afraid that he would not be funny if he didn’t use drugs.
The common denominator is that our THOUGHTS had not been changed. If you linger around the thing that you struggle with, chances are that it will suck you back in. Our thoughts and habits must change.
I write as someone who has experienced failures and successes. Don’t let the fear of freedom stop you from pursuing it. Don’t let the roar of porn and its grip keep you from seeking help and fighting to be free. Your victory is in your perseverance! “Even if good people fall seven times, they will get back up. But when trouble strikes the wicked, that’s the end of them” (Proverbs 24:16 CEV). If you slip up, dust yourself off and keep fighting! Do what you know to do and trust God for the rest. You can do it