By Ife J. Ibitayo
For Part 1 on my embarrassing driving misfortune click here. For Part 2 on my embarrassing jogging woes click here.
I like to visit my parents over the holidays. On one such visit, I trotted downstairs to talk to them. As I was hustling back upstairs, my eyes were drawn to a movie playing on the TV. My hand froze over the remote, and my mind locked on the seductive scene that unfolded in front of me.
“Change the channel!” my dad yelled.
“But what about the others…” I blustered. Then I realized I was the only one watching.
Background
It shouldn’t be surprising that I was so easily sucked in. Temptation is everywhere in our sexually-charged culture. This threat is especially acute during this pandemic. Billions of people across the world have a sudden abundance of free time, and they are spending that time at home, alone.
With naughty entertainment just a click away, the gravitational pull of pornography may feel inescapable. But God freed me from its chains a few years ago, and I know He can do the same for you.
Humble Recognition
The first step in Alcoholics Anonymous twelve step program is, “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol.” As long as I believed I had control over my addiction to pornography, it had control over me. I had to recognize my need for a “higher power” before I was truly able to start rooting this sin out of my life (1 Peter 5:6).
A few key signs of addiction are: 1. Are you ever unable to keep sex off your mind? Does your mind keep on circling round and round such thoughts until you finally give in? 2. Do you ever blow off responsibilities or cut yourself off from loved ones to fulfill sexual urges? 3. Do you hide or downplay your sexual activity? If you express any of this kind of behavior, you are likely addicted to sex.
Honest Confession
Jesus Christ said, “‘Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed'” (John 3:20). For years, my greatest fear was that someone would discover that I, a professing Christian and servant at my church, was addicted to pornography. Satan wielded this fear to lock me into a prison of solitary confinement.
My first real breakthrough happened after I confessed my addiction to someone I trusted. Addiction is rarely conquered alone. Find someone you trust and respect to confide in.
Heroic Action
I had to take three actions to fully break from looking at pornography. First, I installed an accountability software on my devices called Covenant Eyes. It reported any questionable web activity of mine to my accountability partner. Second, I locked myself out of the app store on all of my devices. I had my accountability partner control the passcode and went to them whenever I wanted to install a new app. Third, I blocked Facebook, Youtube, and any other website that had been a source of temptation for me in the past.
These actions may seem extreme, but my addiction was so acute I would exploit any avenue for sin I could find. I had to starve the demon for years to recover enough self-control to relax some of my self-imposed constraints. And even till today I keep some of them.
Conclusion
Just as sexual addiction is developed by a string of wrong choices, sexual freedom is achieved by consistent right ones. The battle may not be over in a month, a year, or even a decade, but it is worth fighting for. I want to end this article with the most significant verse in my personal battle with pornography. I repeated it to myself every time I failed, and it strengthened me to keep on fighting until I found victory:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
(1 John 1:9 ESV)