While in a meeting the other night one of our leaders was taking us through Israel’s time in Egypt. A familiar story to us all; the topic of being free through partaking of the Passover Lamb came up, and we spent time talking about how it looks to break free through Christ. One of the brothers responded to us all by saying, “If we just listen to Sermons all day we will win the battle.” If only it were that easy I thought…Is it?
Many Christians listen to many sermons, yet still struggle with pornography and lustful inclinations. I commented by stating the obvious, yet un-reported fact that King David and Solomon wrote parts of the Old Testament yet struggled. Go figure, you can even write the Scripture and still be stuck in sexual immorality while doing it! So just listening to a sermon alone will not cut it.
It amazes me how many ways there are to, “get off Porn,” in the Church culture. You can pay thousands of dollars to take courses, go to conferences, retreats and order DVD’s that will set up on the right track. But will they? For some, these are the beginning of a new life, and for others, it’s a waste of time and money.
There is no substitute for the body of Christ. None! Everything we need to walk in healthy ways are for us in the Church. And you know what, there free! Can you seek the Glory of God free of charge? Yep! Can you take in the Word for no cost. There are ministries you can find accountability. Confession to your fellow human comes without price, as does the encouragement to cut off the area(s) that are dragging you down.
The utter failure for most suggestions on how to get off of Porn is that it isn’t just one thing that will do the trick. It takes a community to help us change. As you seek to get involved at your fellowship you will noticed deeper issues that you have. Fear of getting to know people (or having them know you) or anger. Maybe you will find that you have a critical spirit towards your Church. These are they that hold us from experiencing the change we seek. We want things to come easy. But this battle will not be easy. It was never intended to be. What is required is a total commitment to your termination, and a full submission to the Lord of heaven and earth. What is holding you back. When you look within, you will find things far more scary than pornography.