Overcome Porn: The 40 Day ChallengeSample

For the next two days we will be talking about what Paul says about defeating sin. 

Sexual sin has been around since Eden, and it will be around until the new Jerusalem descends upon us. Even Paul was no stranger to lust. In Romans 7:7-11, Paul recalls a time in his life when the commandments of God really hit home for him. The more God’s law restricted him, the more his sinful self wanted to break free to be his own master. 

This is why we will never defeat porn by simply trying harder. We will either fail trying or we will just replace porn with another vice.

But there is a way to find freedom! In Colossians, Paul offers an approach that starts with core identity statements:

• “With Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world.” (2:20)
• “You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (3:3)
• “You have been raised with Christ.” (3:1)
• “You were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” (2:12)
• “You have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self.” (3:9-10)

These statements feel abstract, but they’re actually very practical. In order to have the power to fight lust, we first have to understand this: we no longer belong to sin! We belong to God who has accepted and forgiven us through the risen Christ. 

We can construct helpful boundaries in our lives that keeps sexual sin out of reach, but we should do so standing on our identity as God’s beloved children, standing satisfied in Christ and God’s love. When sexual temptation comes knocking, we can say to it, “No, sin. That’s not who I am anymore. Christ is in me. I am a child of the king, and one day the whole world will know it.”

Accountability helps with this (Col. 3:16). Accountability is about surrounding yourself with the kind of Christian friendships that teach and admonish you, inspire thankfulness and remind us of our identity in Christ. When we engage in the disciplines of confession, encouragement, and mutual prayer we expose our souls again to the life-changing Gospel, and God’s power is released again and again.

Reflection

Which new identity statement do you need to embrace to defeat sin?