How would you respond to someone expressing the following concerns?
"I hope I'm a Christian. I'm not sure because I struggle with
porn"
"I seem to be into porn more than I though was possible."
"I've sought professional help, but it doesn't seem to
work."
"Sometimes it seems that ending my life is the only way to end
this habit."
"I know God doesn't want me to do this, but I can't seem to
stop."
Jesus says in John 3:
1. Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of
the Jews;
2. this man came to Him by night, and said to Him, "Rabbi, we
know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do
unless God is with him."
3. Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4. Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is
old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?"
5. Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is
born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is
born of the Spirit is spirit.
7. "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'
8. "The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of
it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born
of the Spirit."
The Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:
1. I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present
your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
service of worship.
2. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and
acceptable and perfect.
Nicodemus was a smart man. He was respected in his society for what
he had achieved, but something was wrong. The Bible doesn't say it, but why else would
this Jewish leader sneak to have a talk with Jesus at night? Whatever he had done so far
in life was obviously not enough to obtain the peace and contentment all of us long for
deep in our souls.
What did Jesus say? Did He recommend mental exercises? Did He recommend avoiding certain
thoughts? Did He recommend a better diet or more sleep? No, He said, "You must be
born again."
Nicodemus protested, "It doesn't make sense to me, therefore it can't be right."
Basically, Nicodemus was saying, "I won't surrender to You until I understand,"
and Jesus was saying, "You won't understand, until you surrender."
You may be thinking, "But it's too easy, too simplistic. It won't help with real hard
problems." We misunderstand one important point. The reason it is "easy"
for us, is because the hard part (in fact the humanly impossible part) has already been
accomplished on our behalf when Jesus willingly went to the
cross and died the death we deserved for our sins.
Your problem may not be needing help with porn. Your problem may be needing death to a
life of porn and rebirth as a new creature. That's what being a Christian is all about --
His power as a gift to you.
"But," you say, "I am a Christian." Then look at the Romans passage.
What is the reasonable requirement for the person who has given his life to God by
accepting Jesus as his savior? Present your body as a living and holy sacrifice -- and
obviously a "living" sacrifice is different than a "dead" sacrifice.
In other words, it is not God's will for his children to commit suicide in despair because
they struggle with sins -- regardless of what the enemy whispers in their ears. The
promise from Scripture is that God will "transform" or change you from the
inside -- He will give you the new mind you long for. Besides, who do you think put it in
your heart to be desperately desiring to change? Take heart, God is working in your life
-- otherwise, how would you even know that you have a problem with porn in the first
place?