Two things in life are certain: dying and paying taxes.
I would add a third to the list: being tempted to lust.
If you’re a man and still breathing, you will be tempted to lust or look at porn. Temptation isn’t just part of our society–it’s the proving grounds for character and integrity.
So, what do porn and paying taxes have in common? They’ll both cost you an arm and a leg.
The tax man is sneaky. The government takes taxes out of your paycheck before you get it. Can you imagine how much worse you would feel if you got paid in cash and then had to stand in line to hand over 15% or more in federal income taxes, only to stand in another line to fork over 5% to 10% for state income tax, and then yet another line to pay 7% for social security and Medicare?
There are also just as real hidden costs to looking at porn or escaping into fantasy. It will become your master and rob you of real intimacy and lasting joy.
Sure, while you are drifting into sexual fantasy your brain releases feel-good chemicals that mask the true costs. But just like getting a paycheck that already has one-third taken out before you see the cash, looking at porn eats away at your sexual integrity and causes you to hide in a make-believe world that competes with and robs you of your true purpose in life.
You know that if you get caught cheating on your taxes, you’ll be fined or go to jail. But each time you look at porn or lust after someone other than you spouse, you are cheating. Just like you have to sear your conscience to cheat on taxes, you are searing your conscience each time you hide in porn or fantasy. Before long, you don’t even know you’re giving up a huge chunk of your life.
Don’t let porn or fantasy keep stealing your sexual integrity as it trades truth for a lie. This is a battle you can and must win.
It’s time to count the true costs of porn or fantasy. It’s time to take a stand. It’s time to be a man of integrity, not only when paying taxes but also for what you allow your eyes and heart to lust after.
Today, make a decision that porn and sexual fantasy are no longer options in your life. Then purpose to do whatever it takes to rid them from your life. This time, link up with another man in accountability and encouragement. That’s the ticket to freedom and victory.
Click here to find out more about becoming a Proven Man and how you can regain or maintain your sexual integrity.
