Porn: like scooping fire into your lap!
Posted on 22. Jun, 2009 by Dave Sheath in Blog, Men, Recommended Reading
Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
Proverbs 6:27-28
Neither can a man indulge in sexual immorality without expecting his life to be destroyed. In 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Paul addresses the problem of sexual immorality amongst Christians. Paul does not merely say don’t do it! He sets forward a radically Christian view of our bodies:
- your body is not your own to do whatever you like with – it belongs to Jesus!
- your body is eternal – it will be raised up just like Jesus was!
- your body is profoundly united with Jesus Christ – one flesh!
- your body is sacred – a temple where God’s Spirit now dwells!
In light of such a radical view of our bodies Paul commands us to flee sexual immorality and honour God with our bodies. Click here to listen to the sermon.
Probably the most prominent expression of sexual immorality in our society today is internet pornography. God’s command to flee sexual immorality! means that we must be proactive about guarding ourselves and each other against pornography. If you are already caught in pornography then you need to be decisive in dealing with it. Bring it before God, ask his help and then seek someone who can help you through these issues is the way to go. Our Recovery ministries are a good first port of call.
The internet is not only the source of problems, it also has some great resources to help move forward. Some are of these resources are fences which help prevent you and your children from straying to unsafe places. Some have good practical and Biblical advice on dealing with pornography:
www.x3watch.com – a way to let your chosen accountability mate know what sites you’ve viewed. It’s free and is used by the Lakes staff. Click here to get a brief guide on how to set it up. Why not get serious and install it now!
www.netalert.gov.au/filters.html – a free download from the Australian government to block any Internet porn.
www.covenanteyes.com – a way to let your mate know what Internet sites you’ve viewed.
www.settingcaptivesfree.com – Scripture-based and very thorough- every bloke should look at this site if they feel tempted by porn.
http://www.mobicip.com/online_safety/iphone – Now available, an alternate browser for iPhone and iPod touch that enables parental controls. Not just for kids!
Mark Driscoll has made his book “Porn again Christian” available for free as an e-book.
1stly – your body is not your own to do whatever you like with.
2ndly – your body is eternal – it will be raised up just like Jesus was
3rdly – your body is profoundly united with Jesus Christ – one flesh!
4thly – your body is sacred – a temple where God’s Spirit now dwells!
3 Responses to “Porn: like scooping fire into your lap!”
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Jeremy
23. Jun, 2009
I highly recommend the ‘Porn again Christian’ Book. It deals with practical situations and can be read in under an hour. – a must for guys! (and girls who want to understand guys).
Becky
23. Jul, 2009
Thanks for the tip Jeremy. Sounds like a great book. I will have to check it out. A book that I found to be very helpful is a book titled, “Love and Pornography” written by Victoria Prater and Garry Prater. I really enjoyed this book because it is written by two people (a couple) who have personally gone through this challenge and have lived to overcome it to help others through these same struggles. I for one am grateful that there are people out there writing books to help others overcome this addiction. It is a difficult addiction to overcome.
StewartK
09. Mar, 2010
You may or may not have noticed the latest Outreach Poster. It’s targeting the despair involved for those caught up in Internet Pornography. Why is Outreach Media focusing on Internet Pornography in March?
Because Internet pornography is dramatically changing community behaviour and standards. What’s different about Internet pornography is the triple ‘A’ threat. More and more people are slipping into watching pornography and struggling because online pornography lacks accountability, it’s anonymous and it’s so accessible.
The sex industry is now a $100 + billion industry. But what about internet pornography? Well, there are all sorts of statistics on its scope and scale. But who really knows? Certainly its income is in the billions. However, the telling statistic comes from Google. Currently one quarter of all Google searches are now for pornography. These days Google doesn’t readily reveal total search figures. But last year a research group called comScore estimated that Google handled 235 million searches a day in July.
The latest statistics on gender usage may surprise. Internet Pornography is not an exclusively male thing. In fact, usage splits 70% male and 30% female.
And the effects of Internet pornography are being felt in churches. (from Outreach Media)