Fallen Heroes: A Devotional for Dads Who Struggle With Pornಮಾದರಿ

How do you know when you’ve won the war? 

Sometimes it’s pretty clear. The American Revolution, the Civil War, and World Wars I and II all had decisive endpoints. Victory was declared and the fighting stopped. But not every war is like this. The wars of recent memory—Iraq and Afghanistan—seemed to drag on. Despite some great victories, guerilla insurgents kept popping up, and new iterations of the defeated forces keep reemerging.

For most of us, the war on lust and porn is less like World War II and more like Afghanistan. It’s hard to point to a single decisive victory. Lust can be beaten into retreat, but it never fully surrenders. Like guerilla insurgents, the temptation keeps popping back up. 

That’s the troublesome thing about habitual sins like porn. It’s fairly easy to beat in any given moment. That’s because it just retreats and reappears later. It’s slippery to pin down and extremely hard to beat long-term. 

Psalm 68:19 gets to the importance of ongoing, consistent victory, not just one-off battles. “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.”

Do you see what this means for salvation? It’s not for a moment. It’s not for a limited series of battles. God daily bears you up. 

Don’t worry about quitting porn and beating lust once and for all. Jesus has actually done that for you on the cross. He tells us in Matthew 6:34 to leave tomorrow’s struggles up to him. Psalm 68 promises that He will save you daily from the deadly poison of porn. 

Some days, it may feel like the Enemy is getting the best of you. But Psalm 68 says that God will deliver you on a daily basis. It goes on to say that He will drag the Enemy through the battlefield and drop him at your feet so your dogs can feast on the bones. Talk about victory! 

Reflection:

1. Take a moment to reflect. Have you been worrying about things down the road? Does the prospect of your porn recovery a month or six months down the road seem daunting? Recovery experts tell us that this kind of worry can trigger acting out again. 

2. Ask God to help you focus on today’s struggle, and to set aside worry about tomorrow. Pray for victory for the next 24 hours.