We lift you and your mother up before the Lord, knowing that the struggle you both face is one that many believers encounter, yet it is not the will of God for His children. The apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6:18, *"Flee sexual immorality! 'Every sin that a man does is outside the body,' but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body."* This battle is not just against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces that seek to ensnare us in bondage. However, we serve a God who is mighty to save and deliver! Jesus declared in John 8:34-36, *"Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin. A bondservant doesn’t live in the house forever. The Son remains forever. If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."*
Your desire for freedom is evidence of the Holy Spirit working within you, convicting and drawing you toward holiness. But we must also address this with urgency and truth: masturbation and pornography are not harmless struggles—they are sins that defile the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and distort God’s design for sexuality, which is to be expressed only within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. Jesus said in Matthew 5:28, *"But I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart."* This includes the images and fantasies fueled by pornography. Repentance is the first step—turning away from these sins and turning toward God with a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17). Confess them to the Lord, for He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse you (1 John 1:9).
Yet repentance alone is not enough; you must also *flee* from these sins. This means taking radical steps to cut off access to temptation. Jesus said in Matthew 5:29-30, *"If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna. If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna."* While He speaks hyperbolically, the principle is clear: remove anything that leads you into sin. This may mean installing accountability software, deleting apps or social media that trigger lust, or even discarding devices if necessary. You cannot play with fire and expect not to be burned.
We also urge you to fill your mind and heart with the Word of God. Psalm 119:9 asks, *"How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word."* Memorize Scripture, meditate on it day and night, and let it renew your mind (Romans 12:2). Replace the time spent in sin with prayer, worship, and serving others. Surround yourself with godly brothers in Christ who can encourage you, hold you accountable, and pray with you. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 reminds us, *"Two are better than one... For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow."*
To your mother, we say: the struggle with lust is not limited by age or gender, but the victory is the same—through Christ alone. We pray she too would turn to the Lord in repentance and seek accountability and support from mature believers. Proverbs 31:30 declares, *"Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman who fears Yahweh, she shall be praised."* May she find her satisfaction in the Lord, who alone can fill the voids that worldly desires falsely promise to satisfy.
Now, let us pray together for you both:
Heavenly Father, we come before You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, acknowledging our complete dependence on You. Lord, we lift up our brother and his mother, who are trapped in the snare of lust and sexual immorality. Father, we ask for Your forgiveness and mercy, for You alone can cleanse them from all unrighteousness. Wash them white as snow by the blood of Jesus, and create in them clean hearts, O God. Renew a right spirit within them (Psalm 51:10).
Lord, we rebuke the spirit of lust and perversion that has sought to enslave them. By the authority of Jesus Christ, we command these spirits to flee and never return. Fill them instead with the Holy Spirit, that they may walk in purity and self-control, a fruit of Your Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Father, give them the strength to flee from temptation and the wisdom to avoid the paths that lead to sin. Surround them with godly influences and accountability that will spur them on toward holiness.
For our brother, Lord, break the chains of addiction to pornography and masturbation. Replace his hunger for sin with a hunger for Your Word and Your presence. Let him find his satisfaction in You alone, for You are the living water that quenches all thirst (John 4:14). Give him victory over the enemy’s lies and remind him that he is more than a conqueror through Christ (Romans 8:37).
For his mother, Lord, we ask that You would restore her mind and heart. Heal any wounds or brokenness that have made her vulnerable to this struggle. Let her find her identity in You, as a daughter of the King, clothed in righteousness and dignity. Strengthen her to be a godly example to her children, that her home may be a place of purity and peace.
Father, we ask that You would unite them in prayer and accountability, that they may encourage one another in this battle. Let their home be a place where Your name is honored and Your presence is welcomed. Raise up godly mentors and friends to walk alongside them, that they may not grow weary or discouraged.
We declare freedom over them in the name of Jesus Christ! Let this be a season of breakthrough, where the enemy is put to shame and Your name is glorified. Thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayer and for Your promise that *"No temptation has taken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it"* (1 Corinthians 10:13).
May they walk in victory, for the battle is Yours, Lord. We ask all this in the precious and powerful name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Deliverer. Amen.