Section Two
Pornography Defined
It is important to point out that over the last 40 years the porn industry has tried to convince society that we can’t define what pornography is. If we can’t define what pornography is, we can’t prosecute those in the porn industry when the material they produce is illegal. Defining pornography, however, is very simple to do. By definition, material is pornographic in nature if it causes sexual arousal. I realize in today’s society people are being aroused by material, actions, and behaviors that have nothing to do with sexual activity. In the world in which we live, the material or input we are receiving is pornographic in nature to us as individuals if it causes sexual arousal. All forms of pornographic material fall into one of two categories, hardcore or softcore.
If You Are Struggling
The First Point Of Intervention
If you are struggling with the sexual areas of your life and you have a desire for change to take place, the first thing you have to do is ask yourself what triggers your behavior? What causes you to enter into sexual thoughts or arousal? Or what causes you to enter sexual sin? It doesn’t matter if you are a full-blown porn addict who masturbates three to seven times a day, or you are struggling with lust on an ongoing basis. So if you’re walking up the street, minding your own business, watching television, or sitting in front of a computer, what triggers the sexual behavior? The first point of effecting change is to determine what causes you to enter into a sexual process that is sin in God’s eyes. It may start when your spouse tells you “no” or withholds sex from you. You may become stressed at home or work. So where does the process start for you?
If you feel comfortable, write your answers here.
- ___________________________________
- ___________________________________
- ___________________________________
The question then becomes, as believers how do we come to a place where we fall into sexual sin, spiritual bondage, and addiction? We are going to start by looking at the sexual addiction process.
Subtle Effects of Sex and Porn Addiction
Sex and porn addiction destroys intimacy, degrades us as people, and dehumanizes our sexuality. It leads to a distorted view of sexuality that influences every part of who we are individually and as a society. Sex and porn addiction causes what God intended to be an intimate act between a man and a wife to become nothing more than a carnally driven desire for a physical gratification. It causes us and our mates to become nothing more than a point of release for our orgasm. It connects what God intended to be the most intimate act between a man and a wife to an inanimate object such as a computer or television.
Biblically Prohibited Sexual Behaviors
All the research we have done and information we have received has shown us that people in the Body of Christ don’t know what the Bible says about sex. In fact Christians generally believe there are mass numbers of professing believers all over the world, doing whatever they have to do to put aside God’s word and commands regarding sex to justify the presence of sexual sin in their lives. The reality is Christians don’t believe pastors and churches are doing anything to inform people about sexual issues. Our research has shown people are very angry with their church leaders for not addressing the presence of sexual sin in the church. Sexual sin has become so widespread in the Body of Christ that we have to ask ourselves whether we are who we say we are, whether we’re living double lives when it comes to sexual issues. We openly and honestly before God have to ask ourselves, are we the Christians we pretend to be? We have to ask ourselves the question as the church, and the Body of Christ, are we portraying the image of the holy powerful God we should?