Pornography might have been a far-fetched thought a couple of decades ago but it is now a real problem especially among young men. According to HuffPost, 90% of men are exposed to porn by the time they are 18 years old. The porn industry is a billion dollar industry and as its popularity continues to grow, it is affecting the proper development of men in so many ways.
The first obvious effect of porn is porn addiction. And interestingly, quite a number of good Christian men are struggling with this addiction. Studies show that 50% of religious men are addicted to pornography. Most of these men started experimenting with porn in their teenage years and are now desperately trying to break loose but the tentacles of porn addiction are holding them just as tight as those of any other kind of addiction. There is, therefore, a dire need for the society and more so the church to address this growing issue before it gets out of hand.
The more men get addicted to porn, the less likely it is for them to find love. Porn reduces women into sexual objects rather than emotional beings who need love and attention. Porn therefore distorts the view of love and that can affect the prospect of the porn addict finding love. When they get close to someone, they are more interested in sex than in companionship. Worse still, they expect to have the same sexual experience they watched in the porn clips with their spouses and this is usually unrealistic. In fact, men who watch porn are less likely to enjoy sexual intimacy with their spouses.
Porn addiction can be likened to any other kind of addiction. It leads to the wastage of time and money that would have been put to more productive use. A study by Barna Group found out that a good number of Christian men watch porn at their office. Apart from the fact that this destroys one’s morals and marriage/ relationship, it is clearly stealing time from your employer or business.
Pornography is one of the leading causes of sexual addiction in the church. And this problem is not only among church faithful but it is also affecting ministers. This sexual addiction leads to masturbation or even some risky sexual behavior like paying escorts for sex. Porn can be said to be the proverbial path that seems right in the eyes of man but eventually leads to death (Proverbs 14:12).
How to get delivered from porn addiction
The first step in getting delivered is getting rid of all adult rated content on your laptop and mobile phone. Men are primarily visual in nature so the more you look at seductive women, the more you fantasize about the sexual experiences. You may also want to put parental controls on adult sites to prevent you from visiting them on your devices. Once you have “cleaned” your hard disk, make sure to replace the space with something else more constructive like Christian music, sermon, etc. Nature hates vacuums so if you don’t replace the habit with something else, you might easily relapse. Finally, look for an accountability partner and let them walk with you on the journey to freedom. Be sure to share everything with them including the incidences when you fail. As you take these steps and continue relying on the power of God, you will soon be delivered from porn addiction.
