• Thursday, December 8th, 2011
• Written By Guest Author
• Categories: Accountability Partner Resources, Lust - Fighting the Battle, Pornography Addiction
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4 Principles to Break Porn Addiction

by J. Chad Barrett

Imagine with me a journey toward the beautiful freedom from addiction. Can you see it? Jesus Christ desires His people to lavish in His grace as we walk in His freedom. As with anything in life, this takes work on our part. We must PREPare.

The following are four principles that are simple but profound:

1. Prayer – The journey to freedom is accomplished by relying on God’s power.
2. Remove all sources – The journey to freedom is accomplished by pursuing God’s holiness.
3. Equip yourself – The journey to freedom is accomplished through dependence upon God’s resources.
4. Pick a partner – The journey to freedom is accomplished through trusting God’s provision.

PREP. It’s an easy way to remember how to prepare ourselves for the battles we face daily. Let’s look at each one carefully.

1. Prayer

Prayer is acknowledging our reliance on God’s power. Prayer does change things. God’s character never changes, but ours must. When I rely on God’s power through prayer, my response to difficulty begins to change.

Only when we are in the presence of the Lord in glory will we be free from temptation, but we can be free from sin’s power. I encourage you to develop a life of prayer. Freedom from sin’s power can come today as I rely on God’s power within me.

2. Remove All Sources

Some guys try to start their journey to freedom, but they trip over all kinds of rocks, bumps, and potholes. These are sources of temptation that must be removed.

Remove all sources. They’re not worth the risk. Jesus said in Matthew 5:29, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.”  Perhaps we ought to start wearing pirate patches to church! Or, better yet, we need to understand that Jesus’ point was to remove all sources of temptation. His context was committing adultery in the heart by lusting after other women.

Here are a few possible sources you might need to think about removing.

1. The drive to work that takes you by stores that sell pornographic material – Go a different route.
2. The pretty girl who cuts your hair – Go to a male barber. (Or an ugly girl. Sorry, I had to say it.)
3. The Internet – Get Covenant Eyes!
4. Those lingerie magazines that come to your wife – Discontinue the subscription. (And don’t tell me you like to read the articles.)
5. The smartphone on your hip – Disable the Internet browser, or get Covenant Eyes software for it.

In order to make your way toward freedom, there just might be some things that you need to avoid. Make a list of those things and share them with someone you trust. The journey to freedom is accomplished by pursuing God’s holiness.

3. Equip Yourself

Anybody who knows anything knows you’re supposed to pack food for a journey. And we can’t travel to freedom without spiritual food.

Nothing fills our spiritual stomachs like God’s Word. This daily provision helps to keep our perspective in the right place. And God has provided people to write some great books and blogs that can help us keep our minds on truth.

We need to equip ourselves, for the journey to freedom is accomplished through dependence upon God’s resources.

4. Pick a Partner

Accountability is not the cure-all for our temptation to sin, but one thing is for sure—we can’t journey to freedom alone. Galatians 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” That law is to “love one another.”

Every man must surround himself with few godly men to help carry each other’s burdens. Ask God to help you find 2 or 3 who can love you enough to ask you the tough questions.

Sometimes picking a partner might mean finding a professional Christian counselor. Good, biblical guidance is actually a necessity for every believer, and God has provided some great Christian counselors that are helping thousands of men just like you. Talk to your pastor to help you pick a partner, for the journey to freedom is accomplished by trusting God’s provision.

Get the Free E-Book

Learn more about critical steps to freedom in this new free e-book, Your Brain on Porn: 5 proven ways pornography warps your mind and 3 biblical ways to renew it.

. . . .

J. Chad Barrett is the author of Journey to Freedom, a book for guys about the beauty of biblical fellowship and its impact on the typical struggles men have. Chad is the Director of Child Evangelism Fellowship of Greater Houston where his team currently reaches 10,000 children each year with the gospel. He lives with his wife Melissa and 4 children in Houston.