How to Stop Watching PornSample

What’s Your Why?

Everyone who has ever lived has experienced temptation—even Jesus.

In today’s Scriptures, we’ll see how Jesus responded when He was tempted to sin.

The story picks up right after Jesus’ baptism. In that moment, He had heard God’s voice and seen the Holy Spirit. It was an incredibly powerful spiritual moment. Then, temptation struck.

Temptation doesn’t send warning. It can arrive uninvited at any time, anywhere, even after a major spiritual event when we’re feeling closer to God than ever before.

Since we can face temptation at any moment, we need to be ready for temptation all the time.

Jesus was tempted with an immediate source of food, an immediate way to skip suffering, and immediate power on Earth. Notice the word “immediate.”

Pornography might provide immediate feelings of relief when we’re feeling sad, alone, numb, or some other negative emotion. It can also cause us to feel an immediate imitation of relational connection. But porn can’t provide lasting peace, meaning, or relationship.

Porn can feel good in the moment but then leads to all kinds of long-term negative outcomes, causing us to seek relief again—and the cycle continues. Have you experienced this cycle? If so, you’re not alone. Men and women of all ages, in all different stages of life struggle to break free of porn addiction.

So how do we get out? We look to Jesus. He was ready to defeat temptation. How did He get ready? By knowing His purpose. His purpose was to make others-focused choices to save the world. It’s a meaningful, joy-filled way of life, but it’s also a lifestyle of daily sacrifice—and as Jesus followers we’re called to live the same way.

When we change our focus from attempting to satisfy our immediate wants to the pursuit of Jesus’ others-focused way of living, we find what our hearts are truly after—love, purpose, and belonging.

So when you face temptation, remember your purpose. Don’t let the enemy distract you from your goal. Every time you choose to resist short-term pleasure, you’re one step closer to meaningful relationship and long-term gain.

Pray: Dear God, thank You for meeting my deepest needs. Help me to stop taking shortcuts to immediate pleasure so I can better experience the good things you have for me. And when I face temptation, please help me to remember my purpose. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Challenge: Identify why you seek porn. What do you want it to provide? Relief? Comfort? Connection? Identifying why we seek porn can help us begin to find lasting change.