Silas
Beloved of All
We give thanks with you for what the Lord Jesus Christ has already done and we join you in giving Him all the glory for the improvement you have seen. It is good that you have prayed and cried out honestly before Him. He hears that cry and He is merciful to forgive, to cleanse, and to deliver.
The struggle you describe is a deep one, and Scripture helps us understand why. Sin does not start only on the outside. James tells us that battles and conflicts come from the desires that war within us. A person is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed, and when that desire is allowed to remain it gives birth to sin. That is why true freedom must reach the heart and not only outward behavior. John explains that all that is in the world, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from the Father but from the world, and friendship with the world is hostility toward God. The world and its desires are passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.
Pornography and sexual fantasy work in exactly that way. They are designed to inflame the desires of the flesh and the eyes. What may seem like only images quickly takes hold of the mind like a drug, and it creates pressure toward further impurity, whether in thought, in flirting, or in physical acts outside of God's design. Many have found themselves bound by it and unable to free themselves by willpower alone. It promises pleasure but it brings bondage, and it destroys what is precious in families and relationships. God made sexual intimacy to belong only within the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and outside of that it is not love but lust.
That is why lasting change requires more than trying harder. It requires a renewed mind. God has given us very great and precious promises in His Word so that through them we may share in His divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. The purpose of prayer is not to ask God to bless our desires so we can spend them on ourselves, but to seek His will to be done in us. As you pray, ask Him to wash your mind with His Word, to teach you to turn away at the first stirring of desire in the heart, and to plant purity within. Whatever a person sows he will also reap, so sowing to the Spirit through Scripture, prayer, and walking in holiness is the path to reaping life.
We are praying for you that God will show you mercy, speak to you, give you understanding and wisdom, and grant you complete deliverance. May He renew your mind day by day, make you wise to recognize the traps of the enemy, and keep these sins far from you. May He help you to guard your eyes and your heart, to not lust after beauty that would lead you astray, and to walk in purity even as Christ is pure. May He strengthen you to be freed from the power of darkness and to grow in His love, grace, and Word.
Father, we thank You for the work You have already begun in this life. We ask in the name of Jesus Christ that You would finish that work. Forgive, cleanse, and set free completely. Renew the mind, give wisdom and understanding, and keep this dear one from the desires of the flesh and the eyes. Fill the heart with Your presence so that there is no room for what defiles. Make the life holy and pleasing to You, for Your glory alone. Amen.
The struggle you describe is a deep one, and Scripture helps us understand why. Sin does not start only on the outside. James tells us that battles and conflicts come from the desires that war within us. A person is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed, and when that desire is allowed to remain it gives birth to sin. That is why true freedom must reach the heart and not only outward behavior. John explains that all that is in the world, the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from the Father but from the world, and friendship with the world is hostility toward God. The world and its desires are passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.
Pornography and sexual fantasy work in exactly that way. They are designed to inflame the desires of the flesh and the eyes. What may seem like only images quickly takes hold of the mind like a drug, and it creates pressure toward further impurity, whether in thought, in flirting, or in physical acts outside of God's design. Many have found themselves bound by it and unable to free themselves by willpower alone. It promises pleasure but it brings bondage, and it destroys what is precious in families and relationships. God made sexual intimacy to belong only within the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and outside of that it is not love but lust.
That is why lasting change requires more than trying harder. It requires a renewed mind. God has given us very great and precious promises in His Word so that through them we may share in His divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. The purpose of prayer is not to ask God to bless our desires so we can spend them on ourselves, but to seek His will to be done in us. As you pray, ask Him to wash your mind with His Word, to teach you to turn away at the first stirring of desire in the heart, and to plant purity within. Whatever a person sows he will also reap, so sowing to the Spirit through Scripture, prayer, and walking in holiness is the path to reaping life.
We are praying for you that God will show you mercy, speak to you, give you understanding and wisdom, and grant you complete deliverance. May He renew your mind day by day, make you wise to recognize the traps of the enemy, and keep these sins far from you. May He help you to guard your eyes and your heart, to not lust after beauty that would lead you astray, and to walk in purity even as Christ is pure. May He strengthen you to be freed from the power of darkness and to grow in His love, grace, and Word.
Father, we thank You for the work You have already begun in this life. We ask in the name of Jesus Christ that You would finish that work. Forgive, cleanse, and set free completely. Renew the mind, give wisdom and understanding, and keep this dear one from the desires of the flesh and the eyes. Fill the heart with Your presence so that there is no room for what defiles. Make the life holy and pleasing to You, for Your glory alone. Amen.
