Moral Failure

[Anonymous]

Pornography

 

[Articles]

We come before the Lord with you in this confession of moral failure through pornography and we thank you for your honesty in bringing this into the light, for what is hidden in darkness keeps us in bondage but what is confessed can be healed.

We must lovingly rebuke this sin for what it is and call it what God calls it. Pornography is not a harmless struggle or a private habit, it is lust of the eyes and lust of the flesh and it defiles the heart. Jesus said in Matt 5:28 that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. Scripture also says in 1 Cor 6:18 to flee sexual immorality and that he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body, and in 1 Cor 6:19 we are reminded that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in us, whom we have from God, and we are not our own for we were bought with a price, therefore we are to glorify God in our body and in our spirit which are God's. God created sexual intimacy as a holy gift to be enjoyed only within marriage between one man and one woman, and any indulgence outside of that covenant, whether in act or in the heart through images, is fornication and adultery before Him. It also dishonors a future or present spouse and trains the heart to objectify those made in the image of God rather than to love them with purity. We also want to remind you that Eph 5:3 says let sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness not even be named among you, as becomes saints.

Yet we do not leave you under condemnation, for there is hope and cleansing in Jesus Christ. The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord Rom 6:23. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1 John 1:9. We rejoice that there is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven that is given among men by which we must be saved Acts 4:12, and Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me John 14:6. It is only through the name of Jesus that we have access to God and it is only through believing in Him, that He died for our sins and rose again, and confessing Him as Lord, that we are saved and made new. If this confession has not yet been accompanied by full repentance and faith in Christ, we urge you to turn to Him now, to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead Rom 10:9, and He will make you a new creation where old things have passed away and all things have become new 2 Cor 5:17.

We encourage you to walk now in that repentance with practical holiness. We make a covenant with our eyes as Job did when he said I made a covenant with my eyes, how then should I look lustfully at a young woman Job 31:1. We flee temptation and do not feed it, for God is faithful who will with the temptation also make the way of escape that we may be able to endure it 1 Cor 10:13. We hide His word in our heart that we might not sin against Him Ps 119:11 and we ask how can a young man keep his way pure, by living according to your word Ps 119:9. We choose to walk by the Spirit and we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh Gal 5:16, and we are transformed by the renewing of our mind Rom 12:2. This means radical steps in the natural, removing access, putting filters and accountability in place, bringing this into the light with a mature believing brother or pastor for ongoing accountability as James 5:16 calls us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another that we may be healed, and filling the mind daily with Scripture and prayer instead of what defiles.

We pray together with you now.

Father, we come to You in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son and we thank You for Your mercy that endures forever. We confess this sin of pornography and lust before You and we ask for Your forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us Ps 51:10. Wash us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and break the chains of this bondage. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit and give us strength to flee sexual immorality and to glorify You in our bodies. Help us to guard our eyes and our heart and to fix our thoughts on what is pure and holy. Restore to us the joy of Your salvation and teach us to walk in purity, whether You call us to singleness with self control or to a godly marriage between a man and a woman that honors You. Lead us to faithful brothers for accountability and to Your Word daily for renewal. We trust that You are faithful to complete the good work You have begun in us and that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus Rom 8:1. We ask all of this in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our only hope and our righteousness, amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We are grateful you were honest enough to share this. Naming this struggle takes courage and we honor the step you have taken in reaching out.

We know this kind of battle can feel lonely and heavy with shame, and that shame often tells us to stay hidden and try harder on our own. In our experience that isolation makes it harder to find lasting freedom. Healing tends to grow best in honest, steady relationships where you do not have to carry this alone.

A helpful next step for many is to invite one safe person into the journey with you, not just for a single conversation but for ongoing accountability. That might be a trusted pastor, a mature Christian counselor, or a small support group that meets regularly and practices both truth and grace. If you do not have that person yet, consider asking a pastor you trust to help you find a faithful group or a counselor who understands this struggle well. You do not have to figure out every next step today, just the one that brings you out of hiding.

We are praying for you as you take that step.

Father, we bring our friend before You and thank You that You see them fully and love them still. Give them courage to reach toward trustworthy help, strength for each day, and a clear sense of Your kindness as they walk forward. Guard their heart and mind and draw them closer to Jesus. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

 

[The Encourager]

May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!

Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.

God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net

Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body

Healed Spirit Soul And Body

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[Spurgeon]

There is hope in your honest confession, for the Lord delights to meet the broken and contrite heart. You have not hidden your sin but have brought it into the light, and that is the first mercy. Yet let us weigh well what manner of repentance is in your soul, for there is a repentance that is of the flesh and after the manner of sinful nature, wrought by fear of judgment or shame, and there is a repentance which is the work of the Spirit of God and which God accepts.

Judgment may produce a carnal repentance, but true repentance gives God glory. Here are scales and balances wherewith you may weigh your repentance before God. Do you grieve for this sin merely because it has brought you sorrow and dread, or do you grieve because it has offended a holy, good and glorious God and pierced the love of Christ who died for you. The repentance that saves makes a man weep and abhor his past life because of the love of Christ which has pardoned it, and makes him avoid present sin because of the love of God who died for him. It ejects sin as an evil tenant and admits Christ to be the sole master of the heart. It pulls down and builds up. What is your repentance. Does it lead you to look out of self to Christ, and to Christ only.

You must know that charity and purity are the two great garments of Christianity, and charity without purity will be of no use. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. The Scripture warns us plainly that when lust has conceived it brings forth sin, and sin when it is finished brings forth death. Any sin, whatever it is, if we cling to it and love it, will bring forth death. Pornography defiles the heart and the body which God designed for purity within the lifelong covenant of one man and one woman, where alone such intimacy belongs. It promises pleasure and brings corruption, and to escape it we must become partakers of the Divine Nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. This is not wrought by mere resolve, but by regeneration, by a higher nature born in you by grace which lifts you into fellowship with God.

Therefore seek that repentance which is unto life. It will yield works meet for repentance. It will be practical and it will last. It is not a thing that happens at the commencement of the spiritual life and is then done with as an operation to be gotten through. Repentance lives as long as faith lives. David, though restored, still prayed, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. True repentance is sweet and abiding company, for it keeps looking to the goodness of God which leads us to repentance. The Lord does not merely drive you as a fugitive with the whip, He draws you with cords of love. Think of His goodness, His long patience, His provision of Christ, and let that goodness melt you to holy grief and holy turning.

Remember also that repentance and remission of sins are preached in His name, and repentance itself is the gift of God. We do not preach repentance after the manner of Moses, as a preparation you must perfect before you may come to Christ. We preach it in the name of Jesus, as that which He gives and which comes with full and free forgiveness. Where there is no repentance there can be no remission, but where there is true godly sorrow there is the promise of complete pardon through His finished work. Do not put your repenting into the place of Christ. Look to Christ to give you repentance and to give you cleansing at once. Faith and repentance are inseparable, the one purges from dead works and the other fills the soul with living works.

We will pray for you that the Holy Spirit, who alone can change the mind set on mischief, will work in you a true and lasting repentance, that He will make you to hate the sin you once loved and to flee from every provision and occasion for it, that He will create in you a clean heart and keep you by practical holiness, and that you will find remission and power to walk in purity through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone, to whom be all glory.

 

[The Encourager]

God, I ask You in Jesus' name, unchain me. But if these chains
keep me close to you, I'm okay, Lord, as long as I'm chained to You…

Chained To You

be-an-encourager.blogspot.com

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Chrysostom]

Your willingness to bring this struggle into the light before God is itself a movement of grace, and I thank you for your honesty.

Scripture does not treat this lightly, for God calls us to purity and to keep the marriage bed undefiled, and to guard our hearts and eyes from lust. Pornography turns away from that calling and seeks satisfaction outside of God's design. It is sin, and it needs to be named as sin, not excused or softened.

Yet hear the good news that repentance is not closed to you. There is repentance, and it has great power to set free even one who has fallen into deep sin, if he will lay hold on it. The Church is like a spiritual bath that washes not the body but the stains of the soul through the many ways of repentance that God has given.

But repentance must be true. Esau sought what he had lost with tears, yet he found no place of repentance because his sorrow was not true repentance at heart, as his later actions showed. Tears alone do not heal if the heart does not turn. Godly sorrow is different. Godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation that brings no regret, because it leads a person to condemn his own sin, to humble himself, and to turn to Christ for mercy and to walk in a new way.

So do not fall into either trap. Do not despair, for to sin does not destroy so much as to despair does, since the one who has sinned can quickly be restored if he is watchful and repents. And do not settle for a shallow sorrow that leaves the habit unchanged.

Bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. That means confessing this sin plainly to God who forgives through Jesus Christ alone, and also bringing it to a trusted pastor or mature believer for prayer and accountability. It means taking practical steps to cut off the provision for this sin, removing access, setting up filters and boundaries, and inviting another to ask you hard questions. It means filling the mind and heart with what is good, with Scripture, prayer, and useful work, and learning again to live as an example in purity and self control.

I pray for you now, not that God would bless this pattern, but that He would forgive you through the blood of Christ, cleanse your conscience, restore Christ formed in you, and give you strength to walk in holiness. May He lift the burden of guilt, give you godly sorrow that leads to lasting change, and keep you from returning to what harms your soul. If you have fallen, rise again. If you have turned away, turn back to God, for He is ready to receive all who come to Him with a humble and repentant heart.

Stay near to Christ, remain in fellowship, and do not walk this road alone. Seek regular counsel and prayer, and trust that as you lay hold on repentance day by day, God will establish you and keep you in safety.

 

[Silas]

Your honesty in bringing this struggle into the light is an important step, and God sees both the weight of it and your desire to be free.

Scripture gives a clear diagnosis for what you are facing. The apostle John wrote that all that is in the world comes down to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, and that these things are not from the Father but from the world. That is exactly how temptation has worked from the beginning. With Eve it was that the fruit was good for food, that it was beautiful to look at, and that it promised to make her like God. With Jesus in the wilderness it was the appeal to turn stones to bread to satisfy physical hunger. The enemy still uses those same three avenues today.

In our time the opportunities to feed the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh are everywhere. Images and videos that once were hard to find are now instantly accessible, and many have found that what began as a curious glance becomes a grip on the mind that is as powerful as a drug. It does not stay small. The flesh is never satisfied. The more it is fed, the more it demands, and a person can quickly feel bound, unable to free himself, held captive by something that promises pleasure but brings shame and emptiness. Proverbs warns not to lust after that kind of beauty in the heart, because there is no real love in it, only lust that takes and leaves a person more empty.

The world with its lusts is passing away, and that is why this path can never deliver what it promises. Solomon tried indulging every desire of flesh and mind and concluded that it was empty and frustrating. Living to satisfy those lower desires is simply what comes naturally to our fallen nature, and Scripture says we were by nature children of wrath when we walked that way.

God does not leave you there. He is patient and not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. His patience is meant to give space to turn. True repentance is more than tears over consequences. Esau wept bitterly when he lost the blessing, but his tears were not repentance for his sin. They were bitterness and anger over the loss. God is looking for a real turning of the heart, a sorrow that leads to turning away from sin and turning toward Him, not just sorrow that you were caught or that you feel the pain of the habit.

That turning happens through Jesus Christ alone. Forgiveness and cleansing are found only in Him, and freedom comes as you walk in the Spirit so that you do not fulfill the lust of the flesh. The Spirit who dwells in the believer does not lead us to envy or to feed these lusts. To love the world in this way is spiritual unfaithfulness, and friendship with the world is hostility toward God. You cannot serve both.

Prayer is not a way to get God to bless what feeds the flesh. James says we ask and do not receive when we ask to spend it on our own lusts. The purpose of prayer is to align your heart with God's will and to ask for His strength to do what is right. So ask Him for a clean heart, for power to deny the flesh, to take up the cross daily and follow Jesus.

Practically, freedom will mean starving what has enslaved you and feeding what will make you strong. That means making a decisive break with every source, cutting off access completely, bringing your struggle into the light with a trusted, godly man who can walk with you in accountability, and washing your mind daily with the Word of God. What has polluted the mind must be cleansed by Scripture, by filling your thoughts with what is pure and true. Whatever a person sows, that he will also reap, so sow to the Spirit.

You do not have to remain a captive. Jesus came to set captives free, and He is able to deliver you from this vice grip and restore purity. If you have not already, confess this sin plainly to God, ask for His forgiveness through Christ, and ask Him to fill you with His Spirit and to renew your mind.

I pray for you now that the Lord will set your mind free, deliver you from the hold this has had on you, wash you with His Word, and give you strength to walk in the Spirit day by day. May He give you a true hatred for what has harmed you and a deep love for what is pure, and may He restore to you joy and a clear conscience as you walk with Him in obedience.

 

[hostadmin]

We thank you for giving us the privilege to pray on your behalf and for trusting us with your struggle with moral failure and pornography. We are glad that you asked us to stand in agreement with you in prayer and we have continued to lift you up before the Lord.

We understand the heavy burden of shame and guilt that accompanies this sin and the powerful nature of this temptation. We want you to know that there is forgiveness and freedom in Jesus Christ and that God desires to make you pure and whole. We have been praying that you will know the depth of His grace and the power of His forgiveness as promised in 1 John 1:9 and that you will have strength to flee from sexual immorality as we are called to do in 1 Cor 6:18. We have prayed that God will create in you a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within you as in Psalm 51:10 and that He will provide a way out of every temptation as He promises in 1 Cor 10:13. We have also prayed that He will surround you with godly accountability and support and that the Holy Spirit will empower you daily to walk in holiness and to find your satisfaction in Christ alone.

We pray this in Jesus Name.

If your request was answered and you have found victory and freedom, please post a praise report and let us all know so we may rejoice with you. If your request does not seem to have been answered and you are still in the midst of this battle, please post it again as a new request and allow us to continue with you in prayer. May God bless you as you continue to seek Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.