Transcription
[Music] So, according to statistics, at least one out of six of you watching me right now watch pornography regularly. Yes, I mean even churchgoers.
And this pandemic is getting very serious, especially as at a time, you know, I was preaching a sermon, um, in the year 2014, and I said, "The time is coming where it would be hard to see a 9-year-old who has not at least once in his life, in his short life, seen a pornographic image once." And I don't mean having the habit, but at least seeing it pop up somewhere, in some shape or form, unsolicited. And maybe you don't realize how big a trouble that is.
Well, I like making reference to something John Piper said, talking about the dangers of pornographic images. At the time, he was, I think, in his 70s, and he said he has only seen one pornographic image in his life. He saw it as a teenager in, um, I think, Playboy magazine, and he still remembers the image. That is how devastating pornography is. It's like a cancer, an earthworm that just enters into your brain. Many of you don't realize it. The reason why you lack money, you lack drive, you lack zest in life can be tied to this, because it can be psychologically proven. When you wake up in the morning and all you're thinking about is sex, that kind of drive should be pointed to something more productive. It just might be ruining your life.
And I know I've taught on this many times, but I just want to share, not in a judgmental way, but many helpful things that I think can help you. So, um, I'll just talk about overcoming pornography. The first thing you need to realize is how dangerous it is. Let me tell you something. Many people who claim to understand how dangerous these things are, they don't really believe it. They don't really believe. They think it's not so good, but they don't think it's really bad. And you don't, apart from the psychological damage, the biological damage, the things that can do to damage you, you don't realize how this can affect your marriage, affect your health. I mean, I mean, your sexual health if you're a married man, and so many other aspects.
Okay. Someone gave an illustration. I think it was, um, Mr. Klesian. It was very powerful. I, I was just scrolling some time ago and I saw it, and this is what he said: "When you ask somebody, 'Why are you giving to pornography or why are you sleeping around?' the person will say, 'I can't control myself. I can't control myself.'" But then he says, "Just imagine, whilst you are about to get on with the activity, armed robbers came in, shot in the air, and said, 'Get on the floor.' Are you going to say, 'Why did you come now? Now, of all times, now I can't control myself. I have to follow through with it.' Is that what you're going to say?" Instantly, all those seemingly uncontrollable feelings will die, and you're going to look for the nearest window to jump out. Or just imagine you say, "I can't control myself. I can't control myself where you have a mother, you have sisters, and hopefully, you can control yourself around them."
So many times, believe it or not, we just haven't wrapped our minds around how serious these things are. Because let me tell you something. When there is an urgent situation, we respond urgently. That's all I'm saying. When there's an urgent situation, we respond urgently. When there's an urgent situation, you say you can't control yourself, but you have enough control to make sure that it is only in private, only in secret, that you do it. Only in secret. Just imagine there was a screen on the street and they, they forced you to watch the pornography. I'm sure nine out of 10 of you, because I know there's still one crazy person, nine out of 10 of you will not do that. Because the truth is, you're still ashamed, and rightly so. You ought to be. So, you, you won't do that in some certain situations.
Okay. So understand this, that you need to understand that you need to just grasp how serious this is, and then the incentive to control it and to put an end to it will rise in you. And of course, I have several sermons talking first and foremost about the power of identity. I think I preached it just, in fact, in our church just three weeks ago. Um, that was the first sermon I preached in the month of September, okay, 2025. So please look for it. I, I think it's going to bless you. The Christian's perspective is to start from the finish line, what Christ has done. The body of sin is destroyed. Yes, I know that the flesh is raging, and it looks like there are a lot of contradictions in your life, but you must still start from the finish line. You had quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. And so you align your reality, what seems to be your reality, to the word of God, and not the other way around. God says that the man in Christ has defeated sin. Believe Him. Believe Him. So when Paul sees the church at Corinth struggling, he says, "Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost." He works from that reality to remind them. All right? And he expects them to use that to superimpose on their contradictions. So you have to understand that this is the believer's perspective to handling and dealing with things like that.
And then you have to understand that there are also some things you do to act on the word of God to deal with such a thing decisively. So I want to give you some practical things to do. Number one, you must make it invisible. And by that, I mean, remove the triggers. A lot of people don't know this. Remove the triggers. You see, a lot of people don't realize that sin has a pattern. It is not as spontaneous as you think that every two days the urge just comes, and then you pick out your phone and you do it. It's not as spontaneous as you think. And so you must be more decisive in making it invisible. So notice the patterns. So I notice, for instance, you that many people who work very hard during the day and come back and want to relax, and then the comfort of their home, alone with their smartphone. That pattern affects people. I've also noticed people who are used to walking and then suddenly find themselves idle. I noticed that is trouble. So, so you hear things like, "Some young boy in the university will say, 'I don't know why pornography addiction is stronger during the holidays.'" I'm coming to that because one of the ways to deal with pornography addiction is by replacement. You, you don't get work. Have you heard the saying, "The idle mind is the devil's workshop"? Do you understand what I'm saying? So when you, when you apply yourself in productive labor, sometimes you just discover that the urge to continue in that foolishness has reduced.
But guess what? Even for some people, that is also a problem because they expend so much energy at work. It's been proven psychologically that the part of the brain responsible for saying no, just responsible for willpower, can be deployed to something else. So when you've used all your brain power to succeed at any single thing, when you find yourself in a vulnerable moment, even things that you would normally say no for, now you're more vulnerable. It's been proven psychologically. So when you hear of maybe famous people who were known for great feats in some particular areas, just having one sharp contradiction, you know, sometimes that's that's what the problem is. Okay? But you must find the pattern and make the trigger invisible. So for some of you, at least for a while, you need to stop staying alone. Stop saying, "Yeah, see, listen. I know not everybody can do this, but I'm just saying a lot of people don't realize the kind of sacrifice it takes to overcoming habits." I think that's part of the problems. It's just like somebody who has a drug addiction and then maybe you want to take him for therapy and all of that, and he says, "No, no, no, no. I, I don't want to be in that space." Well, I know it's uncomfortable, but you just might need it for a while. Okay? Find the triggers and remove it. Stop late-night browsing. Stop isolation. Stop idle scrolling. Those are some of the things that you can do. Okay. Some of you, you will stop using iPad, buy the desktop, put it in a public place in your living room. You don't have the discipline to have a device with internet in your room alone till further notice.
Okay. Next, make it unattractive. Make it unattractive. Make it unattractive. You know, I've recommended this book many times, Atomic Habits. I think it's a good book. I think it's helpful. All right. You know the Bible says, "Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good." Romans 12:9. So abhor. You see, there is also a mental aspect to this. You know where Joseph says, "How can I do this wicked thing?" Call it a wicked thing. Call it. So there is biblical incentive to hate things like this. Hate it. Hate it. Let me tell you something. And it doesn't really matter how much discipline you have in your life right now. This is still something that you must cling to as a child of God. Because there will be weak and vulnerable moments in your life, no matter how disciplined you are. You see, I've seen a lot of incredibly disciplined people who, because of their reputation of being disciplined, when they're struggling, they don't know who to talk to because they, they're bothered about the fact that people will be disappointed. So, just, just, just learn what I'm telling you. And even in that situation where it seems like you like what you ought not to like, hate it. Call it what the Bible calls it. Call it a wicked thing.
Okay? And then you have to find a way to make it difficult. Make it difficult. It's similar to the first point. Make it difficult. You, it cannot be so accessible. If in one simple step you're on the porn site, there's trouble. Is there a way you make it five or six steps? Make it difficult. Make it difficult, even if it's for a while. It's a psychological know that the harder a behavior is, the less likely you are to repeat it. So make it difficult. And these are things that you must sit with as someone who is determined. And that's why the first thing I said, like, you must realize how big a problem it is, that will give you the incentive to sit with the things you are hearing now and to draw a plan.
Okay. So, so for instance, if you install there some accountability softwares. I know somebody who, I don't really know what the software is called, but at random times, it will screenshot, um, take a screenshot of his screen and send to three of his friends without his permission. So once you have that, if someone knows that app, maybe you can tell us in the comments. It will just randomly, it's an accountability system. It will just randomly take a screenshot of whatever you are looking at on your screen and send to three of your friends. Okay?
And then of course, also I've talked about replacement. Replacement. The problem is with many people is they simply try to stop bad habits. The Bible makes a connection. It says, "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh." That's replacement. These things are biblical. So the problem is you simply want to stop lying. You still, or in this context, you simply want to stop the pornography. But there is something instead to do. Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. That's what the Bible says. So get a new prayer schedule. Get a new scripture meditation schedule, or even productive work. Get out of the house. This, um, remote work that you said you are doing. Get out of the house for a while. Get your hand busy. Stop being idle. All right? All right.
And then of course, um, find account. I know you've heard it a million times. It's still important. Accountability partners and a community. Community. All right. Um, in fact, community sounds plenty, especially when it comes to opening up with things like this. "Hey, I'm struggling in this area." You know, I was, I was laughing with, um, I don't know, someone I'm not really close to, but he just happened to open up to me on, on something like this. And then he said, he told the people working with him, "I have one weakness. There's a particular speck. The moment you see this speck, no matter what I'm saying, just remove me from there. If the girl is yellow and her body looks like this, I won't tell you what he said, but if her body looks like this, you don't understand, forget about it." He said, "Even if I say I'm preaching, just grab me as if there's a fire emergency. Jump on me and carry me away." All right? It's difficult to achieve. There are not so many people you can open up to, but sometimes it's not as difficult as our mind makes it, because there is that desire for secrecy that makes us to linger in things like this. All right? But accountability actually would really go a long way.
I know all of this is just helpful talk, but there is a Spirit that can help you. The Holy Ghost. The Bible says, "If you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh." So, I'm praying that His grace will overpower you. Listen, listen to me. I know some of you listening to me, you love Jesus. You love Jesus so much. You love Jesus so much, but maybe something happened. Someone just introduced you to it when you were young, but someone just, and now this contradiction is seeming like a stronghold. But like the song says, His name is Jehovah, the iron breaker. He can break strongholds. And listen, this thing is not following you to the grave. Not too long from now, by the power that raised Jesus from the dead, I see you coming out of it, living to tell the story and encouraging others, telling them, "Been there, done that, got the t-shirt," and I can tell you from my personal experience that God is faithful in this regard. And may the Lord help you. I can't wait to hear your testimony. Be a doer of the word. Listen again and again to some of the things I shared. Listen to other sermons I've done on it, and I believe it's going to help you. God bless you. This is 100 Days of Discipleship. Um, leave a comment if this blessed you. Don't forget to subscribe to this YouTube channel, like the video so that the YouTube algorithm, um, will show more people. And just to be sure you are following, I want to tell you something to put in the comment. Put, give me a second. This is how you would, um, participate. H, I wish I could ask you to suggest. So just put in the comments, say, "I overcame." All right. I overcame. I overcame. That we're talking about overcoming pornography. So whether or not you've had a history with it, at least in Christ, you've overcome. So just put "I overcame" in the comments. God bless you and see you next time. [Music]