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10 Ways to Win the War Against Porn – Part 2
By Jacob Way
Here are five more strategies you can implement today to help win the war against pornography.
Call a Friend
Hopefully, you have a good Christian friend of the same sex who you can ask to partner with you on your road to recovery. Maybe the two of you or your small group can read and work through this book together. Whoever you have, agree to have a “pick up the phone whenever I call” rule. I’ve had this with several brothers. Call your friend when you are losing a battle or struggling with doubt, at any hour in any place. When they pick up, talk about anything and everything. It doesn’t even have to be about what’s currently happening. You don’t need to explain why you’re calling at 2:00 AM. They know why. Talk about a new movie you just saw or the boring science class you both are suffering through. Just get your mind out of your room, and make yourself be with someone else. Have them pray for you and vice versa. Going from being alone to being with someone else, even virtually, is a big deal to refocus your brain and helps you to “snap out of it.”
Worship
Nothing emboldens the heart, or makes the enemy flee in fear, more than worship. Worship is a powerful tool to fight temptation and maintain sobriety. By singing, you are forcing your body and spirit to align in worshipping the King. You also humble yourself as you gaze upon Him. This puts your struggle in perspective. Before you worship, your sin or doubt is an immovable mountain. But the second your heart starts to praise Him, your problems shrink before your eyes. You are in the throne room of the Almighty. Then, with an effortless Word, your Savior easily knocks over that immovable mountain like a Jenga tower.
This is a new habit you will have to start, and it is often the last thing on your mind, but do your best to implement worship. Especially when you don’t feel like it, belt out a song. You don’t have to initially want to worship to start—just do it. Have a couple of “go-to” songs downloaded on your phone. Then, commit. I’ve had doubts melt away with just one chorus and my spirit fortified with one stanza of praise. By the end of the song, you’ll be amazed at how much your heart has changed as your love for Christ soars to new heights. Push back the darkness with the light of worship.
Trust the Holy Spirit
This is a lesson I am still learning. We must remember that the Holy Spirit is omniscient—He knows everything. This means He knows how we operate and our frailty. When He tells us not to do something, we should always listen.
Several times I have been about to start a movie, and the Holy Spirit has warned me against watching it. However, I would immediately rationalize it. I hadn’t heard anything bad about this movie and had people tell me it was funny, great, or life-changing. Not heeding His warning, I would watch the movie. However, every single time, some dialogue, scenarios, sexual image, or sensual situation would lead to more sin in my life. Even hours after the movie, those thoughts and images wouldn’t go away and plagued me all day. I was creating a pool of material that I could be tempted with later on. All of that sin and temptation could have been avoided if I had just obeyed God.
Be sensitive to His voice, and trust His warnings. He knows you, and He knows best. He desires to make you holier each day, so trust and obey.
Remember Who Was Punished for Your Sin
When you are fighting sin, it helps to remember the consequences of giving in to sin. Every sin, every single sin, must be punished. In His mercy, God has chosen not to punish you and, instead, to offer you grace. This grace is not cheap. It cost Him His only Son. Both the Father and the Son joyfully paid the price of your forgiveness. That forgiveness was the exchange of you for Christ. Your sin would be transferred to Him so God could transfer His righteousness to you. He became dirty so you could be clean. Jesus was punished as if He was a sinner so that we could be lavished with grace and fellowship as if we were holy.
The next time you are tempted, imagine your Savior on the cross. For your sake, He died. Don’t take His grace for granted.
Start Now
Not tomorrow, not after church this week, but now. We both know the motivation to do anything the next day is always strong. Tomorrow, you will start that new diet. Tomorrow, you will wake up at 5:00 A.M. to run a mile. Tomorrow is a place and a time in which you will accomplish everything you want to do. The problem with tomorrow is that it eventually becomes today. Today, change is much more difficult to achieve. Our schedules get full, and our motivation depletes, and inevitably we put off our sobriety until tomorrow. Therefore, start today. Right now. Now is the time. Ask the Lord for help, and by His grace and for His glory, take the first steps to win the war now.
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Jacob is a committed husband, father, and teacher. He has taught social studies for over a decade in the US and internationally. He has written Right Before the Bell: A Teacher’s Weekly Devotional to help teachers use God’s Word to shape their classrooms. He is also the author of Hope to Win the War: How Pornography Enslaves and the Truth Frees. He loves reading, watching movies, hiking, and eating great food. Jacob also has the privilege of serving as an elder in his local church, and one of his greatest desires is to see people become all that God made them to be. He lives and teaches overseas with his wife and two children.
