How to break free from porn addiction
It's time to beat your addiction to porn with help from friends, software and God's strength.
Pornography is a serious problem for so many teenagers.
Porn is dangerous for many reasons, including…
- It causes us to see people as objects
- It damages marriages as our brains are rewired to not be aroused by normal sexual practices
- It makes us lust – something the Bible says is wrong
- It tempts us to further sexual activity outside the covenant of marriage
If you’re struggling with porn, and convinced you should try and cut it out of your life, here’s how you can get help.
Accountability
Ask a trusted Christian friend, youth leader or even parent to keep you accountable.
When I was a teenager, I knew of a church that took this very seriously. The boys at that church met together weekly to have honest conversations about sexual sin. They asked each other what they’d done on the Internet that week, and they shared their browser histories.
Of course, girls can struggle with porn addiction too, so groups or partnerships like this are useful for all of us.
Set a regular time with your group or partner to have those honest conversations and share your internet history.
Software
If you want to take accountability even further, you might like to try the Covenant Eyes software. This software helps fight porn by blocking inappropriate sites and also logging your internet use. It sends a report to people you nominate as your accountability partners so they can see what you’ve been doing and ask you questions.
It costs $11.99 (USD) per month but it's worth it. This will definitely help you to think twice before googling something explicit!
Throw it away
In Matthew 5:29 Jesus tells us, “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”
I wouldn’t go gouging out your eyes, but Jesus’ point here is clear: sin is serious and it takes serious action to confront.
So if your phone or computer is making it easier for you to sin, throw it away! Or at least give yourself some serious limits on how you use it. Don’t use your laptop alone in your room, just use it at the kitchen table. Leave your phone in the living room overnight. Consider giving up your smartphone for a simple phone with no internet access.
Do whatever it takes to get rid of porn from your life!
Pray
In our lives on earth, we are always going to struggle with sin.
But God promises that he will help us become more and more like Jesus every day through a process called sanctification.
We need to ask for his help as we battle against sin in our lives through praying regularly.
If you are struggling with porn addiction, you might feel embarrassed and afraid to admit your sin to God. But remember, he already knows, and he’s waiting to hear from you.
Pray continually for his help, and ask others to pray for you.
There is hope
Right now, you might feel like you’ll never be free from porn. But with the help of God and your Christian brothers and sisters, you can change!
Remember that Jesus died for you because he loves you, and even if you have to fight every day against porn, thanks to his sacrifice you will enjoy eternity free from the pain of sin.
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