There’s a scheme of the devil doing untold damage to the church, to families, to marriages and entire communities. It is so drastic, so dangerous it can be compared with a raging dragon.
Far too many people, however, are lured into letting this “dragon” into their homes and hearts, thinking they can keep it on a leash, only to have it burn up everything they have and are. I am talking about pornography.
It is everywhere, and people are being exposed to it in more places and at younger ages than ever. I do not need to quote statistics for you to know the number of people in our churches who are actively consuming pornography. I do not even need to detail how high the stakes are, as we are in a pitch battle for the very minds and hearts of God’s people.
While many are throwing up hands in defeat, believing this is a permanent foe that cannot be tamed, others are going to battle. Among those is Jay Dennis, who has written a “Hardcore Battle Plan” against pornography. Calling on Christian men to repentance, prayer, the Scriptures and accountability, Dennis and others are helping many believe this battle is winnable.
Sexual temptation is always with us, of course, but we should avoid feeding those flames with the gasoline of pornography. Toward a pornography-free life and family, I recommend people—and men in particular—S-L-A-Y the dragon in the following ways:
Survey
How is pornography entering your home? If it’s the TV, cancel your cable. If it’s the Internet on a computer or mobile device, get a good filter like Covenant Eyes. Today, do an inventory of your life and gadgets to see how the long tentacles of pornography may be getting an inroad to destruction. Jesus said to gouge out your eye if it causes you to sin (Matt. 5:29), so surely He would have us do without a few digital conveniences to save our souls.
Love
C.S. Lewis said that lust cannot enter heaven, not because it is too strong, but because it is too weak. An addiction to pornography reveals a lack of love in our lives. Love is more powerful than sin, and lust distorts real love. If we truly love our spouse and family and the Lord Himself more than images on a screen, that will break strongholds. Ask God to re-awaken love in your life, if it has grown cold.
Accountability
Every path to purity and discipleship involves drawing strength from others. If you are a man struggling with pornography, confess it privately to a trusted minister or brother in Christ who will help you and keep you accountable. Making it a secret only emboldens the real enemy at work. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us, setting us on a new path (1 John 1:9).
Yield
In the end, a surrendered heart is the only real path to victory over sin and temptation. Each one of us is vulnerable, in this pornography-saturated society. Each one of us is accountable. Yielding to God through prayer, we can experience transformational victory.
These are just a few ways that we, God’s people, can experience victory over pornography and slay this dragon dead.
