Waterfalls can be powerful, beautiful, and dangerous. On September 4, 1995, a 400-ton basalt boulder broke free from the back of the 620-foot-high Multnomah Falls and fell 225 feet to the plunge pool below. The massive block shattered upon impact, creating a 70-foot-high wall of water and rock fragments that struck 20 people posing on a falls viewing bridge-causing minor injuries. Talk about interesting photos!
Pornography is also known for its images. Like waterfalls, they can be powerful (playing on our lust), beautiful (featuring images of attractive people), and dangerous (drawing us into dark secrecy). These false sources of fleeting excitement and enjoyment only lead to a “continual lust for more” (Ephesians 4:19 NIV).
Soon the boulder drops and crushes our lives-destroying relationships and leaving us spiritually wounded. That’s what happened to King David when he ogled Bathsheba and then fell deeper and deeper into sin.
We can learn from his mistakes. Here are three things we desperately need:
Repentance—If the King had turned from lusting after something that wasn’t his (sounds like porn, huh?) and repented, he could have avoided the ugliness of sin’s freefall (1 John 1:9).
Righteous Friends—David needed accountability with men who could have encouraged him to turn from his sin (Proverbs 27:6).
Renewed Love for God—Much like people who struggle with porn, David had strived to fill his emptiness with shallow fantasy, instead of passionately seeking God and His deep well of true fulfillment and joy (Revelation 2:4-5).
By seeking God in these ways, we can begin to resist the power of porn and embrace a God who loves and completes us.
More:
Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. . . . Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me (Psalm 51:7,10).
Next:
What will you do to resist the power of pornography? Why is it essential that we possess a passionate heart for God as we seek to live pure and holy lives?
mike wittmer on March 28, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Thank you for this timely word, Tom. I think that many people struggle with this sin today, in part because it is so accessible on the Internet and in part because we know it is shameful. May God grant us grace to love people as his image bearers and not as objects of our sexual fantasies.