What is it about superheroes that we love so much? Is it the colorful costumes, or maybe their cool names? Is it all the cool gadgets that we can only wish were real? Maybe, but I don’t think so.
I think part of what attracts us to superheroes is their strength. As a child, I often dreamed of flying or shooting lightning bolts from my hands or being invisible. But even beyond a specific superpower, what really thrilled my heart as a little boy was the notion of a possessing a strength that protected the good and overcame the evil, whatever form that took. In other words, I longed to be strong enough to beat the bad guys.
Men especially are drawn to the notion of strength. I believe most men want to be powerful, to be in control, to be impervious to harm. Even more, we want to use that strength to protect the innocent and vulnerable. I think of Captain America’s (my favorite superhero) transformation from a physically weak and scrawny man to a supersoldier. It’s symbolic, in a sense, of every man’s desire to grow from weakness to strength.
Of course, this desire for strength can be warped and abused. And in the famous words of Spider Man’s Uncle Ben, “with great power comes great responsibility.”
But the fact remains, men want to be strong, and there are few things more terrifying to a man than weakness and helplessness.
Yet, the interesting thing about superheroes is that they all, without fail, have a weakness. That is what makes their stories interesting. A superhero that can’t be harmed is not very compelling. Even Superman, who is one of the most invincible heroes of all, can be defeated by kryptonite. Inevitably in each hero’s journey, he or she comes face to face with his or her own weakness. It is their defining moment.
Porn and Its Devastating Effect on Strength
So what does all this have to do with porn? Porn has many negative consequences, but one of of the most devastating psychological effects is the shame and helplessness that come with it. Porn can take an otherwise strong, confident, self-controlled man who helps others and reduce him into a helpless, shame-bound shell of his former self.
It is like kryptonite–or rather, pornanite! Porn makes strong men weak. Even worse, it keeps asking for more and more of your life. Even when you want to get rid of it, it feels almost impossible to leave behind. Porn (a.k.a pornanite) can devastate a man’s strength.
The good news is, there is hope! But it requires doing the one thing most men, who like to think of themselves as invincible, don’t want to do: Ask for help.
You see, there’s only one way for a man reduced to weakness by pornanite to recover his strength, and that is by drawing on the strength of a trusted friend, an ally.
The Power of an Ally
Try to fight alone? Porn will keep you weak. But turn to a trusted ally, and pornanite starts to lose its alluring power.
It’s so simple, so why doesn’t everyone do it? Because it’s scary. We hate to admit when we’re weak. We hate to admit that we need help. For men who admire strength, admitting you need help is embarrassing, even terrifying. This stubborn part of us would rather continue suffering in our weakness than take this step. But it’s the only way.
If you want to beat pornanite, you need an ally in the fight. You need accountability.
This connection to a trusted friend who’s always there for you helps you recover your strength. In moments of stress and pain, when pornanite is especially attractive, reaching out to your ally will weaken its power. Energy will flow from your connection to your ally, and you will notice your strength beginning to recover. In time, you might even find that pornanite loses almost all of its attractiveness. You’ll be able to turn away from it and get back to living your life with confidence and peace.
True, pornanite isn’t easy to overcome. It can leave even the strongest man weak and helpless. Turning to an ally is the only way to overcome its alluring and life-draining effects. Accountability gives you strength.
So what are you waiting for? Beat pornanite and unleash your inner hero. Choose accountability.
Unleash Your Inner Hero
Our latest video, “Unleash Your Inner Hero,” shows just how powerful an ally can be in your battle against porn. Check it out!
Sign up for Covenant Eyes
Over a million people have used Covenant Eyes Accountability and Filtering software to protect themselves and their families in the fight against pornography. With a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee, there’s no reason not to start protecting you and your family today.
I’m not sure who could be my Ally yet. Someone at church or a choir collegue ? I think I used to fear authority.
This article says that if you have accountability, then you can defeat porn. I have had accoutability partners and still was addicted. And…what about Jesus? Doesn’t he have some part of freedom? There has to be more than what I am doing, that would help le get out of it.
I have finally found freedom from acting out sexually. My problem went much deeper than looking at porn and masturbation. I actually walked away from the Lord then I got much worse as I spent thousands on escorts and finally hit bottom when my wife saw a text from another woman from work that I brought into my life. Accountability software is only a small part of the arsenal against sexual addiction. Others in the fight is a must, first and foremost Jesus, but also a group around you like you will find in a Celebrate Recovery group, it is a biblically based recovery group or another strong group is a series called Conquer Series, which is strictly for sexual sin. First you have to be honest about your problem, get out of denial and get an army of men around you.