Miscellaneous Thoughts

Is anyone reading this? Seriously, feel free to comment or send me a message...I'd like to know I"m not just talking to myself.

One of my entries a few weeks ago, I talked about the need for more discussion about pornography addiction...as many people don't even realize how quickly the problem is growing. This week there was an article on CNN.com about XXXChurch: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/04/porn.addiction/index.html While I've visited their site a few times and not been completely impressed with their tactics, I do agree with their overall mission, which is to encourage open discussions about pornography and addiction. I think it's great to see them getting some press.

This past week I've been struggle with temptations a bit more, although I'm thankful that God has given me the strength to continue to overcome that. But I thought I'd share a few thoughts that I continuously try to remind myself of when I am struggling a bit more.

1) The tempations goes away...
I've sometimes gone a full week with little to no temptation...then out of no where I'll be hit with it. The funny thing is...I'll start to feel like I absolutely need to give in...and if I don't give in...the tempation will never go away. Some how I've forgotten all about the past week where I survived with barely ever thinking about pornography. But the devil is really just trying to trick us...the temptations will go away! Just as we go through periods where we can be relatively temptations free...we'll go through periods where temptations seem nearly unbearable...but we can't be fooled into thinking giving in will make them go away! In those times where we aren't tempted...we should be preparing ourselves for those periods where will will be tempted!

2) We have the strength to overcome!
Another thing I sometimes get tricked into thinking is that I am not strong enough...or I don't have enough will power...to beat this sin. But that's just another lie of the devil. God created us...and he has given us all we need to overcome sin. Why would he have created us...but made us too weak to overcome sin...then tell us we will be punished for giving into sin? That makes no sense! No...we can overcome our sins...and we should look to God to support us and give us the strength to resist the temptation of sins.

3) We can't give in...not even just a little...
In my past struggles I've found myself justifying my actions...trying to find ways to "break the rules". I used to try to convince myself that it was okay if I allowed myself to dwell on lustful thoughts...or if I just dwelled on imagery of scantily dressed woman as long as they weren't nude...or even convinced myself it was okay to masturbate to get rid of the temptations (at least it's better than porn). I talked about the slippery slope in my last post...and this is exactly when it starts. If I allow myself to give in to one of these seemingly harmless acts...I'm just starting small. It will take more and more to get the same amount of enjoyment...before long I will just fall back into the same habit.

So these are just a few thoughts that help me keep my sanity in times of temptation. Of course we can't forget how important daily prayer is in staying free of porn. God Bless!