For many men (and women), overcoming pornography seems an impossible task. While this post will focus on men, I acknowledge that the snare of porn addiction has enveloped many women as well.
We need only look around at the world we live in to see the depth of immorality and how it has crept into almost every facet of our lives, leaving a wake of destruction in the form of broken homes, relationships, and individuals left behind.
Sadly, the church has not been immune from this disease either. Statistics point out that in virtually every category of pornography habit, Christian men are side-by-side with their secular counterparts. Put in numerical terms, put ten men together in a room among the congregations of America, and it is likely six of these men have viewed pornography in the last month.
This habitual sin will continue to fester and grow without intentional intervention. Many will spend years simply riding the merry-go-round of committing the sin of pornography and crying out in false repentance over and over again.
Sitting in church on Sunday, singing in the choir, leading a Sunday school class, or belonging to a men’s group will do little to stem this cycle of sin. It can even harden a man’s heart to believe he has everything under control. But he’s dead wrong.
Before the healing can truly begin, it is important to first understand what porn has done to the brain.
Thoughts and actions are so intertwined that one affects the other in what can be a vicious cycle that basically builds trenches in the brain’s wiring to further deepen the addictive nature of porn. Constant viewing of pornography creates a perfect neural storm so that our brain is rewired in such a way that we no longer view women the way we should and twists our sexual drive in unhealthy ways.
The hours spent viewing pornography, only to increase sexual arousal for an encounter that is likely to only occur in their mind, trains the brain to build a mental sexual playground where the fulfillment becomes more and more detached from the reality of a healthy sexual relationship.
Soon, porn and fantasy have overtaken the brain. All women become objectified based on their ability to satisfy us in a fantasy sexual encounter. The outlet for release becomes all-consuming. It is interesting to note that the same area where our brain places such survival instincts as eating and drinking is the same area where our sexual/reproductive instincts are located.
Men at this stage when confronted will likely deny there is a problem and have developed an amazing ability to rationalize and even justify their behavior. The sin of viewing and acting out on pornography has seared its place in the neural network, and when replayed, deepens the damage even further.
This blindness is separating him further and further from a God who only wants to restore him to purity.
Look for more information on my website in the coming weeks regarding this powerful sin that has been called “every man’s battle”. God has laid it upon my heart to reach out to those who are currently ensnared in this world and are looking for answers. If you are struggling and need someone to talk to, please reach out.
