All classes, races, and occupations of men are affected by sexual temptation and particularly the sin of Internet pornography -- even churched men. The numbers continue to grow, due in part to the affordability, accessibility, and anonymity afforded by Internet pornography. Often the addicted will attempt to dismiss his or her sin with the words, "It doesn't hurt anyone," or "It's a victimless crime."
Ah, the rationalization of Satan! Sexual sin is sin that fractures families, destroys lives, and places people in danger of eternal damnation. Addiction, especially to Internet pornography, will cause a person to draw into him- or herself at the expense of family, work, and all relationships. One extreme danger associated with pornography is the exploitation of children. Dipping one's toes in this cesspool can lead to a federal charge of child pornography -- a felony punishable by a fine and jail time.
Men, it's time to step up and be sexually pure. Men, let's examine what our mouth says, our eyes see, and our mind desires. We need to especially scrutinize our use of the Internet, cable TV, and what we read. It's also time for men as responsible -- and protective -- fathers to critically assess and guide the use of the Internet by our children.
Men, it's time for us to confront a sin that seems to know no bounds. And men, it's imperative we remember there's still hope in Christ for the sinner -- every last one of us. It's time for us to extend the Good News of the Gospel to those entangled in the use of pornography, especially Internet pornography.
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I recently foun the God Whisperers on the web. I thought their discussion of the Sixth commandment was a great piece. It took the subject and came at it from so many different angles. It is a program that could be listened to many times to glean out the facts that many of us don't really think about in a normal day.
I am in Jacksonville Florida, and I have committed this horrible sin. I tried hiding it for years and praying about it, but continually I would go back and find the "pleasures" in it. It then went from chat rooms, to emails (this was all with people from all over the world), then in the last few years it moved to finding people in florida, lastly it went to finding other men in Jacksonville. Yes I said "men", because though I know the Lord Jesus and I am married to a wonderful women who has blessed me with 8 children, my sin pulled me towards the same sex. I can not tell you if there will be closure for my family, but men need to be warn of what the devil is doing in our lives.
Thank you for calling this sin for what it is and bringing it out into the open. I had been enslaved by this sin for close to 30 yrs. It all started when I was 10 yrs old when a friend showed me a playboy magazine he had sneaked out of the house from his father's hidden stash. I was not a beleiver until several years ago so I thought this is what men are supposed to do. My father even had a calendar in his downstairs office with bare chested women. When I came to Christ in 2005 the Lord showed me my sinfulness and I sought help. First I tried on my own to conquer this evil. Eventually my urges became way too strong and I knew I couldn't do this myself. Each time I was over powered by my own lustfulness. I needed help, badly. I found a support group of men of valor caught in the same dungeon as I and found that I was not alone. Together, through openness, humbleness, accountability to each other and the support of a loving God and Savior, we have been able to wean ourselves from these polluted waters and drink only from the waters of life. I encourage brothers everywhere to awaken to this side of our manly nature, turn from it, seek God's forgiveness for it and seek help. We are not an army of one and this battle can not be won alone. I've been there and have the t-shirt that sais 'you failed'. Today, I am a clean man. Yes, everyday is still a struggle for me because of the onslaught of sexaul temptation in the world today, and I know I will live with this struggle for the rest of my life, but through the grace of God, a loving wife, whom went through her own hell after finding out about my addiction, my fellow brothers in arms, and a Savior that is stronger than he that is in this world, I can now stand strong, turn from it's allure and win each day. There are lots and lots of resources out there to help. I encourage every man, whether caught is this pit of despair or not, to read "Everyman's Battle". If your ensnared join a support group and get help. God's Blessings to you my brothers.
To Anonymous in Jacksonville, FL,
And to all brothers struggling against this sin,
The fact that you feel guilty about this sin and know you need to struggle against it is proof that the Holy Spirit is working in your heart to break the hold of Satan and your sinful desires.
Remember that Jesus Christ took that sin and all its entanglements and all its guilt upon Himself when He took your place to suffer the rightful wrath of God for each and every one of our perverted thoughts, desires, words and deeds-and for every time we should have done the right thing but failed.
When He said, "It is finished" He was talking about the punishment those sins deserve. It is completely done- every single penny has been paid- and God the Father is completely satisfied, all His wrath has been drained away on the cross.
You are right that it is still a struggle, but Jesus Christ is right there in the struggle with you to help you with His mighty hand.
When we struggle against sin by ourselves it's like grabbing the tongue of a hay wagon overloaded with tons of hay bales and trying to pull it by yourself.
Jesus sees you pulling and He calls out, "Come to Me! You are laboring hard against that heavy load, I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
Jesus is referring to a double yoke which was used in His day. This yoke joined two oxen together at the neck and harnessed their combined strength to pull the load.
The yoke Jesus calls you to wear is also a double yoke. And He is your partner. He joins you to Him so that you can walk side by side together. He is strong enough to easily pull the load by Himself, all you need to do is stay by His side and follow His steps.
Remain in your marriage if your wife is willing and let Christ help you battle the powerful temptations. Join up with other men who are struggling against this temptation and the Lord is with you to forgive you each time you fall and get you back on your feet.
Lord's blessings and peace be yours always,
Rev. Wayne Palmer
My "Men of Purity" Bible Study leader "outed me." as I was seeking an accountable, Spiritual based sexual addiction assistance method. He outed me to a pastor who said I was a liability to the group because I was a pastor. The details may take a book to explain, but the fact still exists that I am a sexual addict, a leader in the church, and scared to death that I may some day lose everything because of the internal struggle I have. I fear I cannot tell anyone other than a therapist. He has not helped with the spiritual depravity I feel. The Lord and I have gone through this for quite a while now, and at one time I was committed to doing it alone with Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but I still think I need a human person, near by me, to help me in overcoming this fleshly trouble. I desire to overcome this internal need and live in peace with my whole surroundings. My wife hates my sin and would just go bonkers if I discuss it with her.... and probably leave me to my own demise; therefore, I cannot share this with her, my best and only friend. I have prayed. I live within Jesus' grace every day. He indeed is protecting me and guiding me; but I have the trouble of sexual temptation. Since this is an issue in this blog, I felt I needed to share. As an addiction, I have had even years of good success, but then failure. I just have no one to share this with, except Jesus and a professional who actually does not have the accountablility methods I need. I will probably go to another therapist, but have found them to be okay with some sexual addictive sins. I will see. But by the grace of God, I go and struggle. I surely wonder if I will find some peace in this matter.
I will pray for you. It took courage to confess and it takes courage to continue to live a life of purity.
We can't do it! It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we have any power at all! I pray you can find a Christian therapist who helps you in your struggle - I also pray that you rely fully on God - as you can't overcome sin - only Christ did that.
You are not alone - you are surrounded by prayer warriors who are praying for you.
hahahah this is supposed to be a "man" site but instead its riddled with a bunch of trite, weak religious garbage, some men you are
bunch of little boys
im watching porn on the internet right now
Another great resource is Setting Captives Free.com. It's a 60 day course and they assign an accountability partner to you.
This issue has affected millions of lives, especially in the advent of the Internet and the abundance of pornography available through it. Thanks for sparking this important discussion online.
You can also take advantage of the free articles and links at Breaking Free, the Covenant Eyes blog. There is a ton of training there on developing strategies to fight lust and find good accountability.
http://www.covenanteyes.com/blog/
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