For everything that is in the world, the desire of the flesh, and the desire of the eyes, and the ostentation of the living, is not of the Father, but is of the world
First Epistle of John 2: 16, Concordant New Testament
I recently watched an old Charlie Kirk Turning Point USA in which a former Only Fans model testified on how the internet platform had affected her life and relationships before she found the Lord. I saw this as a very powerful testimony in a world filled with images and videos meant to be pleasing to the eyes. As someone who was once enslaved to the images of pornography, I can also testify to the negative effects it has had on my own life. I mention the word slavery as this is exactly what an addiction to pornography is. You become enslaved to the images and movies which bring you pleasure. Your daily "Porn time" becomes something of a necessity. At least that's how it worked out for me personally. It's been reported that about 5-8% of our adult population, men as well as women, has some form of porn addiction. Now, some might say that accounts such as Instagram and Only Fans are not porn worthy. But, that would be a lie. Because I know first hand that there are many Only Fans accounts where women sell, yes sell, images of their bodies for a monthly fee. As Charlie Kirk so correctly pointed out to the former Only Fans model, "Don't kid yourself, you were selling yourself for money the same as a prostitute would." He's not lying there. You might think that it's innocent and fun, but you're doing the same things a prostitute would do. There is absolutely no difference between what you do and the actions of someone who publicly sells themselves for money. The only difference is that you do it behind a computer screen. But you do it for one very important reason, sex sells. If people were not enticed by the nude images of others, you'd be much better off. Had I not followed my own urges, I would have avoided the consequences of my own porn addiction. The apostle John spells it out as the "Desire of the flesh" {First Epistle of John 2:16}. I will not call out the flesh as wicked as some in the mainstream church have taken to doing, for it is God Who has created us in His very likeness {Genesis 1:27}. It has never been the Fathers creation that has led us down this road, but the desires of man.
There has never been anything within my own body which caused me to be addicted to the images of others. As I said, I am His creation and this body of mine is the temple for His spirit within me {Paul to the Corinthians (1) 6:19}. What led me down that path to addiction was my own desires for satisfaction. I believe that this could be said for any addiction which mankind has ever faced. The apostle John also mentions the "Desire of the eyes" in his passage {First Epistle of John 2:16}. Let us look at the moments leading up to mans leap into sin. Eve was enticed by the words spoken by the deceiver. She saw that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was "Good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes" {Genesis 3:6]. So, even though the Lord had commanded her not to take from that tree, it looked pleasant to Eve, so she considered taking of the fruit. But this wasn't the final temptation. What pushed Eve into sin were the words of Satan promising her that were she to take of the tree that she would "Be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5}. A fruit pleasing to the eyes AND the ability to be like God? Eve was all in. Of course, the words Satan spoke were just a lie designed to tempt Gods creation into disobedience to Him. This is also the birth of the lie which many live in today, that we live separate from God. That we are our own individual self. Nothing could be further from the truth. How is it that what has been created can be separate from the creator? The author Norman Grubb confirms this by proclaiming that there is but one individual self in the universe, and that is God.
There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the I AM {Exodus 3:14} and says, "I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God beside Me {Isaiah 45:5}
No Independent Self ~ Norman Grubb
~Scott~
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