XtianNinja

I recently sent this to a struggling friend and was convicted to share it on the blog in hope of helping others. These are practical ways that I’ve learned to combat the temptation to view pornography. Hopefully they will help you too.

1. Have Consistent Daily Devotions – If you’re reading God’s Word and talking to Him every day (putting on “the whole armor of God“) then you are a billion times more likely to have the strength to fight temptation. The more you love God, then more you’ll hate sin. The brighter God shines, the darker sin looks. (Here’s a method if you’re looking for one.)

2. Get an Accountability Partner – Find a Christian brother or sister of the same gender, whom you see often, and confide in them about your struggle. Ask them to pray for you and give them permission to regularly ask you about porn (“Have you looked at pornography lately?”). Once you drag your sin into the light, the shame and fear associated with it will dissipate. Satan wants you to be alone and afraid, but James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

3. Use Effective Porn Blocking – I’m really good at using computers so finding a way to block porn was a tough one — but I figured it out. The best/easiest way I’ve found to do it is to use OpenDNS on your router. It’s super easy to setup and has the advantage of blocking all kinds of pop-ups and other weird internet stuff. Once you’ve set that up, and this is important, give your router and OpenDNS password to your accountability partner. Make it impossible to remember (or have them enter it in) and then you can’t access it or change it. And since it’s based in your router, “Incognito Mode” doesn’t work. (And if you know your way around a router, do this to prevent it from being circumvented by local DNS changes.)

4. Enable/Force Google Safe Search – This is important because enabling Google Safe Search will help keep you from stumbling across images and sites that get your motor running. (If you know your way around a router then do this too as it will force every device connected to the router to use Google Safe Search.)

5. Remove Web Browsing From Portable Devices – This one might be painful, but trust me, you’ll get over it. If you have an Apple device, then use “Restrictions” to disable Safari and give the password to your Accountability Partner. Most of the stuff you want to do uses an app anyway, right? (Sorry, I don’t know how to do this on an Android or Blackberry device.)

6. Learn to Hate Porn – You cannot kill a sin that you do not hate. One of the reasons people keep falling for porn is that they think it’s their own private problem and doesn’t affect anyone else. That’s a damnable lie.  Here’s some things to read so you can learn to hate pornography: “Porn Fuels the Rape Culture“. “Pornography and Human Trafficking” (also here). “19 Year Old Commits Suicide After Shooting First Porn Scene“. Porn Destroys People, Families and Communities. Also check out Porn Harms.

7. Remember You’re Forgiven – If you hate your sin and ask Jesus for forgiveness, He will absolutely forgive you. He loves you so much that He took your punishment for that very sin. Yes, sexual sin is bad, but Jesus was crucified to pay for that sin too. Remember 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Take some time to read Romans 8 to really understand the depth of forgiveness. When you fall, Jesus will forgive you.

8. Remember Temptation Isn’t Sin – Satan wants you to believe that you must sin. He wants you to think that depravity is part of you and you can’t get away from it. He wants you to think that since you’re tempted too look at porn then you aren’t a real Christian. And if you’re not a Christian, then you don’t have access to the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit. He wants you to think you’re alone and that you have no choice but to give in. Remember, even Jesus was tempted! Temptation isn’t sin. You are a child of God and a new creation and you do not have to sin. That’s why you’re fighting against it! You have the strength, in Jesus, to fight temptation.