How do I escape pornography addiction?

"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." —1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)

As I'm sure you can guess, some of the most searched terms on the internet are related to pornography—whether it's to seek it out or to find ways to end addiction.

For both men and women, pornography is everywhere, in varying forms and levels of explicit, and can be the first step on a very slippery slope of falling into even more immoralities (Romans 6:19).

Satan has indeed succeeded in twisting and perverting sex. He has taken what is totally good and right (loving intimacy between a husband and wife) and replaced it with lust, addiction, adultery, rape, sexual deviancy, and more.

Porn Makes Us Slaves to Sin

"Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy." —Romans 6:19 (NLT)

The addictive properties of pornography are documented facts. Just as drug or alcohol abuse require a user to always increase their intake to achieve the same high, pornography drags a person deeper and deeper into hard-core sexual addictions and ungodly desires. Porn is terrifyingly hard to look away from.

The three main kinds of sin are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). "Earthly sins" include sexual immorality, impurity, and evil desires (Colossians 3:5). Pornography encompasses all of those. It definitely incites lust after the physical, it's undeniably a lust of the eyes, and it builds lustful fantasies in the mind.

The Cost of Porn Addiction

"Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body." —1 Corinthians 6:18 (NLT)

Consuming pornography can lead to uncontrollable lust and a lack of self control. It can make it difficult to know the difference between feelings of love or lust. Porn addiction also creates challenges with real sexual intimacy between marriage partners as expectations become unrealistic and unattainable in actual practice.

Intense feelings of guilt and despair often go along with viewing porn—or show up directly afterward. Pornography is the #1 cause of masturbation, sexual assault, and sexual deviancy. Pornography is offensive to God, which makes it a sin that must be confessed, repented of, and overcome.

Addiction is Not Unforgivable

"If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." —1 John 1:9 (NLT)

Please know that an addiction to porn isn't unforgivable. If you ask, God can and will forgive you (1 John 1:9). Porn addiction is not impossible to conquer. With God, you will have the power to overcome it (Philippians 4:13).

Christ's strength helps us overcome worries and earthly desires—no matter how bad our circumstances may be. With His strength, we will find endurance to get through the difficult things.

Devotion to Porn Raises Concerns

"For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world." —1 John 2:16 (NLT)

When a person who claims to be a Christian has become desperately devoted to pornography—without remorse or desire to repent—that person should really consider if they're actually saved (1 Corinthians 6:9). That sounds harsh, but those who truly follow Christ won't choose to constantly disobey God. We're not expected to be perfect, but if we're not even experiencing conviction from the Holy Spirit, that's concerning.

Steps to Victory Over Porn Addiction

"I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." —Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

If you truly desire to be free from your addiction, then you can find victory. Decide that you want to change and set yourself up for success by staying connected to God, protecting yourself from temptations, and seeking accountability. Here are some more steps that may help:

1. Confess your sin to God (1 John 1:9). He already knows what's going on, but it's helpful to just get it out there. We can't hide from God. He knows everything anyway. Just talk to Him.
2. Look within and seek transformation (Romans 12:2). The reasons why you're turning to porn may be much deeper than you think. Maybe it starts with boredom, loneliness, or just plain curiosity. You'll need God's strength (Philippians 4:13), discernment from the Holy Spirit, and perhaps therapy.
3. Fill your mind with better things (Philippians 4:8). Keeping our thoughts godly is a challenge for every believer. The mind wanders, the world tempts, and intrusive thoughts intrude. But we can retain control of our thoughts and be vigilant about what we let in (Proverbs 4:23-26).
4. Choose holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4). Your body is a gift from God and belongs to Him, so take care of it as though you're taking care of God's possession. Choose holiness and purity.
5. Remember what sex is and what it's for (1 Corinthians 7:1-5). Sex is special gift created by God. We were designed to enjoy intimacy, but God's command is that it's only to be enjoyed in the context of marriage. Sex outside of marriage causes all kinds of emotional, physical, and spiritual turmoil that gets in the way of maturing as a person.
6. Followers of Christ don't keep turning to sin (Galatians 5:16). If we truly allow God to direct our actions, He'll help steer us away from temptations to sin.
7. Recognize your weaknesses (Romans 7:14-25). Look at your limitations and the things that set you off, then take action to protect yourself. Installing porn blockers on your devices and limiting viewing of sexy media (TV, movies, games, etc.) can help you stop before you even get started.
8. Ask a Christian friend to pray for you and help keep you accountable (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). Make sure this is a person you trust with personal information, who will call you out on your sin, and who will tell you the truth lovingly (Ephesians 4:15). That's very important—because someone who lets you get away with things isn't going to be able to help you.

Sites like XXXchurch.com might also have some helpful resources for you. If you like reading, there are great books out there like Every Young Man's Battle by Stephen Arterburn and Every Young Woman's Battle by Shannon Ethridge and Stephen Arterburn. (NOTE TO PARENTS: You might want to DOWNLOAD THIS.)

You're not alone in this.

Pornography addiction is such a solitary thing. Those images you see are ones that will be burned into your memory always, and it hurts. I know it hurts. You feel like you're the only one with the problem, yet there are so many who struggle with it. Take heart that you're not the only one—and God is on your side. You can do this.

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