How to Quit PornSample

How Do I Get Past This? (Part 1)

Today, we’re going to get practical, because pornography is a poison that trains us to see others as objects to be used rather than as people to be loved. And as a community of rescued and redeemed people who have been called to partner with God in His mission to bring rescue and redemption to all of creation, we cannot afford to be ruled by lust.

So, how do we get past the prison of pornography and step into the freedom God offers?

By practicing repentance. Okay, but what exactly does that mean? Repentance is the act of turning from sin and turning toward God. It is so much more than just feeling bad for what we’ve done or giving out a half-hearted apology. Repentance is about genuine life change. Repentance looks like admitting we have messed up and committing to make a change.

Here’s the good news: God already knows what you’ve done, and He still died on a cross for you. Your sins are not too big for God. The forgiveness and freedom you’re longing for can be found in turning from your sin and turning to God.

The longer we conceal our sins, the easier it is to confuse what we’ve done with who we are. That’s where shame comes from. Shame is the belief that because we’ve done something bad, we are bad. But when we confess our sins to God, He responds with forgiveness and reminds us of who we really are.

After admitting we’ve messed up, the next step is committing to make a change.

A sad reality is that many Christians remain imprisoned by pornography because they keep waiting for God to do all the work for them. Here’s the deal: God has given all of us free will, and because He loves us, He refuses to override that free will and rob us of the gift of choice. That means if we continually choose to return to sin and pornography, God isn’t going to stop us.

Does that mean God just sits idly by and expects us to solve all these problems on our own? Of course not! God has filled you with His Spirit, given you access to His Word, and surrounded you with people who love you! God has already given you everything you need to get past this.

What does that look like when it comes to pornography? It looks like this:

• Doing everything you can to eliminate the temptation today, so you don’t have to resist it tomorrow
• Training yourself to see others as people to be loved instead of objects to be used
• Getting help from the people God has placed in your life

We’ll go into more detail about each of those steps tomorrow, but for now, take some time to confess your sins to God so you can experience the forgiveness that has been available all along.

Pray: Heavenly Father, I admit that I’ve messed up. I’ve sinned. I’ve looked at and thought about things that I know I shouldn’t. I need Your forgiveness. I don’t want to conceal these things anymore. I want to be set free from the prison of pornography and I want to return to Your grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.