Yes I admit, I've got a thinking problem
She's always on my mind
Her memory goes round and round
I've tried to quit a thousand times
~Thinking Problem by David Ball (1994)~
This week I was once again reminded of the impact of that which I thought I had once left behind me. A good friend confided in us that he was once again struggling with the evils of pornography. He's not alone by any means. I was once among those who struggled daily with the images of the female form for my own gratification. According to the latest statistics, 11% of men and 3% of women in America have confessed to being addicted to pornography in some form. But what of those who dabble in it and don't feel that they're addicted? What about those numbers? See, when I was struggling with porn there was a time when I felt that I didn't have an addiction at all. I was merely doing "What guys do." The funny thing about pornography as compared to other, more destructive addictions, is that it often takes a back seat to diseases like drug addiction and alcoholism. It's like porn is the ugly cousin of these other hurtful problems so many face. Yet I'm here to tell you from my own experience that the porn struggle is all too real for many people. I've been there. I might never have partaken of drugs, but I was addicted nonetheless. I chose to fill my time with images which satisfied me if only temporarily. Isn't that what drug addicts and alcoholics do, seek that temporary pleasure? In some ways, pornography has been seen as simply a issue with the mind. If I don't think about those images, I'll be fine. Well, I'm here to tell you that the issue goes deeper than that. I dare to say that it goes to the issue of who we truly are. Or, in other words, who God sees when He looks upon us.
When it comes to recovery programs, typical drug addictions have more options than those of pornography. There are systems in place to help those addicted to kick the chemical addiction. What does pornography have? I've known more than a few men who have gone through one church endorsed porn addiction seminar or another and come out on the other end still addicted to the flesh. So, how is it, then, that I managed to stop the cycle of the thinking problem? Well, part of it was Gods intervention while the other part has been my own realization of who I am in His eyes. It all began one night as I once again waited to walk through the doors of another Portland strip club. In that moment, I felt what I can only describe as a tugging at my spirit which told me "This is not who you are." Whatever it was, it was enough for me to walk away that night. It also began the journey which led me to discover who I truly was in Christ. If I'm not "That" guy, then who am I? Well, If I adhere to the words of the apostle Paul, I am the image of Christ Jesus Who lives in me {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}. That old guy I once was, who the church told me that I am, is dead. He was crucified on that cross alongside Jesus. That guy was a sinner, and I'm not that guy anymore! While the pornography addiction can be described an issue with the mind, knowing who we truly are in Christ is that renewing of our minds {Paul to the Romans 12:2}. My journey to knowing my identity in Christ has not been easy, but it has been life changing for me. Knowing that the Father does not look upon me as a sinner, but as His loved child {First Epistle of John 3:1}. When we renew our minds, we stop seeing ourselves not as condemned sinners, but as living our life IN Him {Johns Account 14:20}. For those who find themselves addicted to images of the flesh, I can assure you that this is not who you are.
And not to be configured to this eon, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, for you to be testing what is the will of God, good and well pleasing and perfect.
Paul to the Romans 12: 2, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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