I'll admit that I like to pull a Scarlett O'Hara when it comes to the less attractive side of church leadership, like getting the parking lot paved or turning in a budget. "Fiddle dee dee!" I shrug. "I can't think about that now! I'll think about that tomorrow..."
The first step that a man can take to free himself from the prison of pornography is to confess. Confession moves beyond denial, minimization, normalization, justification and rationalization to a right understanding of one's own brokenness. It refuses to celebrate and revel in the sin, and is the first step toward reestablishing communion with God and others. Because pornography has such an isolating effect on men who are intent on hiding their problem, it is important that this confession be more than between him and God.
The movie The Soloist tells the story of the friendship between Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless man with an undiagnosed mental illness, and Steven Lopez, an LA Times columnist. In one scene Steven spends the night on the streets with Nathaniel. Rats scurry around them on the street as people weep, laugh, brawl, jabber, stagger, and embrace.
My life had become a nightmare. Practically overnight, since I'd admitted having an affair to my husband, I'd lost everything. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, and I couldn't get off the treadmill of fear, shame, and despair. The hours, days and weeks dragged on as I waited for the pain of colossal regret to subside.
If you're a Bible student, you're most likely familiar with the battle of Jericho recorded in Joshua 5:13-6:27 of the Old Testament. It was only recently that I noticed a key part of that story that I'd read past many times before. Here are the two key verses from which I'll make my point.
When Satan comes against your mind with wrong thoughts, you don't have to concede defeat. Use these practical actions to confront loose thoughts by securing them with the belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14).
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