Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: Overcoming the evil of pornography
Written by Rev. Joseph T. Lee
Today, we are continuing our discussion on the evil of pornography and the effects on the Church. In a previous post, I wrote that Google did not have safe guards to prevent a child from viewing pornography. I was incorrect in that statement. They do have a filter that a parent can turn on called SafeSearch. When activated, SafeSearch will deny the user to view content that is considered pornography, violence, and gore. This safety feature only applies to the Google search engine. Safari has something similar.
These filters are good for these search engines, but a middle school child who wants to view content will find their way around these filters. Many times, the child may be using the device of the parent and can turn the filter on and off as well as clear the internet searches from the history of the search engine. Google and Safari also have a Incognito or Private mode in which whatever is searched for in those search engines, the history is not saved. Although the history on the device and search engine is deleted, the websites visited still has the IP Address of your device saved in their servers.
My recommendation is that parents go online and purchase filters through Covenant Eyes, which will help curb this problem within your household. Their website address is www.CovenantEyes.com. They will help you control what your family views online via computers, mobile devices, and tablets. You will download their software on your devices and then when someone searches the internet, a report is generated as to what was searched. Covenant Eyes also will block porn and violence and will report to the parent what was blocked. The cost for this service is $16.99 a month. They also have an accountability team whom you may call. This is a great value and great investment for protecting your children and family.
Ron DeHaas, President of Covenant Eyes wrote, “The data from “The Porn Phenomenon” bears this out. Twenty-nine percent of general population adults seek out pornography at least monthly. However, 39 percent of those who use a filter to block pornography seek it out at least monthly. More alarming, 54 percent of U.S. adults say they never seek out porn-but 0 percent of filter users say they never seek it out! That is why I started Covenant Eyes. Filters can’t replace relationships for keeping people accountable.”[1]
Anyone searching for pornography or sexual violence has an addiction to it and must seek help. Viewing it over and over again can cause trust problems for their spouse. In the book, “The Porn Phenomenon” published by the Barna Group, there was a Q & A in the back of the book. Marlene Soffera who is a pastor, speaker, and writer answered many questions posed to her about pornography and sex addicts. She stated, “The breakdown of trust is the number-one issue reported by wives of sex addicts. This is true no matter the form in which their husband’s addiction manifests itself, all the way from ‘simple’ use of pornography to extramarital affairs (often with the wife’s friends or relative), prostitutes, rape, pedophilia, etc. Every one of these activities is shrouded in secrecy and layers of lies and broken promises. When the lies finally come to light, usually in a dramatic discovery, the wife’s trust in her husband is almost completely shattered. It is a long and difficult process to rebuild trust.”[2]
Seeking pornography can lead one into an addiction. Once the eyes of an innocent child has viewed this evil and filth, they cannot unsee it. These pictures can set off chemicals of pleasure in the brain and can arouse anyone who views it. Soffera wrote, The reality for the addict-differentiated from a more casual user-is that porn is their drug of choice to medicate the pain of past wounds.”[3] Soffera recommends therapy to get to the bottom of the pain one must be feeling and medicating themselves with the use of pornography. That is why counseling with a qualified counselor will help the sex addict with their issue, so that their wounds can be healed through therapy.
For those who are the producers and makers of pornography, I believe that they are working along side with Satan and demons in what they are presenting. They capitalize on the degradation of women, men, and children. Just to think that a pornographer would defile a child and that an adult man would have sex on film with a small child is horrific to say the least. The Bible speaks against harming children. The perpetrator should just tie a millstone around their neck and throw themselves into the sea because they will be judged harshly and thrown into hell at the great Judgement Day. In Matthew 18:6, it reads “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Mark 9:42 reads, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord. The fruit of the womb a reward.”
For those who are seeking pornography and look at it constantly, the Bible says the following in about godlessness in the last days which seem to be the days we are living in now. Look at 2 Timothy 3:1-9, “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.”
Pornography leads one to be a lover of pleasure. Just think about how many intimate relationships you have had in your mind with a virtual woman, man, or child. You have committed adultery in your heart as well and fornication by proxy if you are single, If you viewed child pornography, you have committed pedophilia within your heart and you will be held accountable, if not on this earth, at the Judgement Seat when you die and face God Almighty to answer for your sins.
Let’s look at one more Scripture pertaining to your relationship with Jesus if you proclaim to be a Christian and yet you are looking at pornography. Look at Matthew 7:21-23, “21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”
Are you a worker of lawlessness? Does Christ Jesus “REALLY KNOW YOU?” Are you constantly committing adultery, fornicating, in your heart because you are viewing pornography? If so and you want to quit and salvage your relationship with Christ Jesus, you need to repent from this lifestyle and these sexual acts with virtual women, men, and children. First, you must ask forgiveness. Pray and ask Jesus to forgive you of your unrighteousness and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross to save you from your sins. Ask Jesus to help you overcome these sexual desires. Then seek counseling to help you with this problem. Seek an accountability group so that others may help you by holding you accountable.
Next week, we will be discussing putting on the Full Armor of God so that you will be able to endure the fiery darts of Satan and his demons the next time you are tempted with masturbation and viewing pornography.
I will be praying for you that the Holy Spirit will lead you and guide you. Place your trust and faith in Christ Jesus when temptation comes. He will help you and provide an escape so that you will not succumb to the temptation.
Resources:
The Porn Phenomenon, Josh McDowell Ministry (Ventura, CA: Barna Group, 2016).
[1] The Porn Phenomenon, Josh McDowell Ministry (Ventura, CA: Barna Group, 2016) 130.
[2] The Porn Phenomenon, 125.
[3] Ibid, 129.
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