31 May | Youth
«I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.» Psalm 101:3, KJV
Lifelong addiction is wanting without control. It is a seemingly unbreakable habit that leads the person to repeat the dose “just once more.” It is proven that behavioral addictions (spicy foods, drinks, pornography, gambling, or video games) affect the brain in the same way as narcotic substances. If you cannot get away from any of these things for a week, it is because you are enslaved by it.
Internet pornography is a particular stimulant of this addiction, as invitations are just a click away. A recent study revealed that nine out of ten children aged 8 to 16 say they have seen pornography on the internet. And most of them said they found it by chance, while doing research for school.
Viewing pornographic material can cause an insatiable appetite for more pornography. Willpower is eroded. The desires of the body overwhelm the logic of the brain and erode the power of the will. It is quite common for people to look for increasingly harder pornography to find the same satisfaction.
If you are trapped in this habitual sin, recognize that it has great power over you. However, if your heart's desire is to be pure, believe that the devil cannot keep a son of the living God entrapped in pornography. If your heart's desire is to be clean, you will need to confess what has stained your being. Start by confessing to God. Tell Him why you need His forgiveness.
There is no sin too gross for His grace. There is no sin that God will not forgive when you confess it and leave it behind. Do whatever you can to keep junk out of your mind. If you want to lead a clean life in a polluted world, you must use the supernatural antidote for purifying the mind: “And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2). If your mind is renewed, you will be transformed.
Pray today with a spirit of repentance: “Have mercy on me, O God! I do not deserve Your forgiveness and I know that I can do nothing to deserve it, but I humbly ask You to forgive my sin. Wash me of all dirt and guilt. Please God, give me a new heart.”