First, I would like to tell you that this article has a lot to do with my personal testimony. When I was 13 years old, I was first exposed to the awful sin of pornography. I was out playing basketball with my "friends" at the time and they started talking about porn. I did not know what they were talking about so I asked them what it was. They said, "You don't know what porn is?!" I said, "No, I do not." One of them had went to go get a picture of it while I stayed outside with the other friend of mine. I knew something bad was about to happen but didn't want to be thought of as a coward. Well, the other friend came out and showed me the picture. As I stood there, I felt so guilty because I knew it was wrong. It was something I should not have seen. That was ten years ago, and the image is still there. I became an addict of pornography for several years. God has given me victory over it, but I know that it's an every day process of dying to self and letting God have the victory. It is the only way to conquer the sin in my life. It is through His blood, and through His power that I can be an overcomer. Pornography is everywhere today and my heart goes out to those who have fallen prey to it. I have written this article in hopes to help you realize the dangers of pornography. If you do not see the greatness of this sin, you won't ever want to get out of it. Please read this with much consideration.
Forn
is Porn!
1
Corinthians 6:18, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the
body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.”
1
Thessalonians 4:3-8, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification,
that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how
to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of
concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond
and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of
all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called
us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth
not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.”
The word “fornication” according to Noah Webster’s
1828 dictionary says that it is “the incontinence or lewdness of unmarried
persons, male or female; also, the criminal conversation of a married man with
an unmarried woman.” It is adultery. Fornication comes from the Greek word
“pornea” where we get the term “porn”, and it means sexual immorality. “Graph” has to do with images or material
seen or displayed (photograph, pictograph, phonograph, etc.). Pornography
is the depiction of graphic images or material visualized in the mind of the sexual organs of the
opposite gender. In other words, it is
the parts of the body that should never
be seen or looked upon! Ever since the Garden of Eden, it has only been natural for a lady and man to be ashamed when their underparts of the
body are exposed. Unfortunately and very sadly, you cannot go to a store at a
checkout line without seeing inappropriate and sinful images as you pass by.
This is everywhere.
When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they both immediately knew that they were naked and were ashamed. We are missing that
shamefacedness in America, and
throughout the world! The Bible even speaks of that and commands it! In 1
Timothy 2:9 we read what Paul said under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “In
like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness
and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;”
That word “sobriety” just simply is another word for “moderation” or
“temperance”. In other words, women
ought to dress in a way to not make a statement; but rather to glorify the Lord
Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 2:9 speaks of
“modest apparel”. Crossing the street
over to Proverbs 7:10, we have the “attire of an harlot”. This attire is the very opposite of “modest”
and is the wardrobe for the strange woman.
Is this where pornography was stemmed from? The way women dress themselves? What about
the heart of a man? Matthew 5:28 tells us that a man who looks at a women with
lust in his heart has committed
adultery already with her in his heart. Thus, this is an issue of
both parties, not just one. But where did it start? Why is sexual immorality at
its highest point it has ever been in America?
Allow me to give you some history of pornography.
First, we must understand that Satan is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) and the prince of the
power of the air (Ephesians 2:2) and
also a liar and the father of lies (John
8:44). Satan has his hand in pornography being plastered in front of
you. He is a liar. The first time pornography was ever depicted,
it was said to be healthy for sexual life.
This is a bold faced lie! But that’s what people were led to
believe. The first picture of
pornography was said to be drawn out by a caveman 1,000 years prior to the
first written document (source). I do
not know how valid that is, but there might be some truth to it. I do not believe that the first picture of
pornography was found on the internet, but that it was drawn by someone
else. It is also said that it was at
first drawn for the intentions of instruction purpose, not for sexual
pleasure. That is another bold faced lie
from the devil! When the devil tempted Jesus to turn the stones into bread, do
you think there would have been anything wrong with Jesus doing that? Yes, and
it is not because it was a sin to turn stones into bread. It was because Jesus
would be yielding to the devil, and that is a sin. Jesus was hungry after all,
and His intentions would’ve been not wrong.
However, His actions would be. Thus, to say that the intentions for
pornography were only good is not a valid statement. Someone could intend to rob a bank to provide
for his family, but the Bible says “thou shalt not steal”. Satan is a liar and the father of it when he
throws out the saying “the intentions are only pure” when it comes to
pornography. Satan is also the prince of
the power of the air. This means that
Satan’s dominion is the media and that is including the TV, the Internet (and
computer), the radio, etc. We should not
be surprised at the trash seen on TV or the Internet, or even that there is not
a good radio station to listen to in our car. Satan owns it all. It has been
said that many that are addicted to pornography would not be if it was not for
the internet. That is sad. And yet you can go online to search for this
filth any time of the day, and however long you want to look at it. You see, the devil always promises the good
now but does not tell you about the consequences to follow. A pastor became victim to the sin of
pornography. He and his wife never had a
TV in their house until just recently when a family in the church donated
theirs to them. The pastor used to have
a problem with pornography but it has died off.
When he got the TV, they purchased cable and as the pastor would search
through channels on it, he would come across the old channels that he used to
watch with his buddies when he was addicted.
He would pass by them and think he could control it, but soon the remote
control had controlled him. Not telling
his wife about his temptation, he kept coming passed those channels and had
ended up selecting one of them. He had
to purchase them and what did the pastor do? Did he decide that it wasn’t worth
it? Did he decide that it’s not worth destroying his testimony or his
relationship with my wife? No! I wish he would have! Instead, he purchased
those channels. For weeks, he would stay
up late watching those channels and being aroused by what he watched while his
wife was in bed sleeping. His wife was so concerned and why he was up watching
TV so late at night. One night she could
not sleep so she sneaked her way down the stairs and saw what he was
doing. She went back upstairs in tears
and for the longest time she kept it to herself. Finally, she let it out to him. Did he repent in bitter tears? No! He got
frustrated with her. His addiction to
what he was watching on TV destroyed his church, ministry, marriage, and worse,
his testimony. Do you think things would
have been different if he didn’t take the TV? Yes, absolutely. There were other things that should have been
done, but the point is that the TV helped feed on his carnal appetite that was
put away for so long. Satan is the prince of the power of the air. He is also the god of this world. You don’t have to go far before a picture of
pornography is right in front of you. Just by walking to Walmart and seeing the
way people are dressed is ungodly right off the spot. It does not help that you cannot get out
without being distracted by what you see at the checkout line, and as you go
home you see an ad on a billboard with a half-naked lady advertising for beer.
Pornography is everywhere. It wasn’t
until the camera was invented (shortly afterward) that pornography was on the
rise. Now it is ramped. It has escalated to the point where it’s just
a normal thing for people to search for on the internet. God forbid! Satan has been deceiving man
since the Garden of Eden when he said, “Yea, hath God said?” People are being
deceived into thinking that pornography is healthy and it helps you view the
opposite sex better. Nothing could be further from the truth! Pornography is a sin! It is a sick and
demented look at women.
God intended man to have only one sexual partner! Hebrews 13:4 says, “Marriage is honourable
in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” God intends marriage
to be one man and one woman for life! Mark 10:7-9 says, “For
this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And
they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What
therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” Did you know that
every time you lay your eyes on pornography, whether a picture, video, or even
a captured image in your mind, than that person you perceived becomes your
sexual partner? “How can that be?” you ask.
Even though you are not physically doing anything with her, you are mentally doing something with her. Your
mind is given over to someone who is not your spouse. You are getting sexual pleasure from someone
that is not your spouse. Do you know
what that makes you? A thief! You
are stealing from your future spouse (or your current one, sadly)! Those
moments of pleasure (which are but for a season, like every sin is) you have on
the Internet or on your TV, or even in your MIND, are moments of pleasure that
are supposed to be received from your spouse! The person that did the video is
just as guilty for portraying their body to someone that is not their
spouse. I want to be very
straightforward because that is what we need more of is some
straightforwardness and truth from the heart.
Would you say “I love you” to any of those people in the pictures and
videos of pornography you are looking at? NO! I don’t know of a single person
that would answer that with a yes. Do
you ever intend on marrying them? NO! Then let me ask you this: why are you
seeking pleasure from someone who is NOT going to be YOUR spouse? Men, God
intended one lady for you. Ladies,
God intended one man for you. That person is the most beautiful person to
you, and you may not even know it yet because it is not God’s timing. God made it that way; just like He made Eve
the most beautiful woman to Adam (he didn’t have much to choose from). As you fill your mind with these filthy
pictures and videos and wicked imaginations, that physical beauty in that one
slowly begins to deteriorate. Listen to
me. Pornography is a fantasy. Pornography portrays women with perfect
bodies and that is not the real
thing! You will not be satisfied with it
– I promise! Pretty soon after watching the video that seems to arouse you
for a while will “get old after a while” and you will want something
different. YOU CANNOT DO THAT WITH YOUR SPOUSE! Your spouse will get old, have
physical ailments, and even get moody at times but by the grace of God; they
will still be YOUR spouse! That is a blessing from God! And by looking at pornography,
you are only walking all over God’s blessing.
It is as if you are running over a field of beautiful roses with muddy
shoes just to catch a bug. What God
wants you to have is that field of roses, your future spouse. What you are going after is pornography that
bug. You’ll never get that bug, and you
know it. In disappointment, you will
turn around and see that field of roses all stepped on and try to put it back
together but it will not happen. God is
gracious, however. He will forgive
you. Listen to what Job said in Job
31:9-12, “If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait
at my neighbour's door; Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow
down upon her. For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be
punished by the judges. For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and
would root out all mine increase.” You need to give your wife the proper
respect that she deserves and by looking at pornography, you are disrespecting
her. She deserves your respect. Do you
love your future spouse? If yes, then stop looking at or engaging your mind on
pornography and keep your mind and heart only for her. Job said “it is a fire”. Are you playing with fire? Pretty soon it
will consume you to destruction. You
think you can handle it, but eventually it will handle you. After holding onto
a snake for a while, you’ll soon realize that the snake will have a hold on
you. That’s what sin does, and that’s
what the sin of pornography does.
