Pulled by Porn - Martin Wiles

Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. Matthew 6:22 NLT

Porn was once mainly relegated to magazines stuffed behind counters or to the big screen drive-in theaters, but not anymore. 

I grew up in the years before the internet—a time when research was still done at the library and when most people paid for subscriptions to magazines and newspapers. Porn was no different. Hustler and Playboy were the two major competitors, and those magazines were stuffed behind counters with the covers concealed so the scantily clad women couldn’t be seen by customers who were purchasing other items. And while a good number snuck in or legally attended the XXX drive-in’s, those movies weren’t advertised as the normal movies were. 

The internet—along with changing cultural mores, has altered what appeared to be my innocent world of yesteryear. Recent surveys by Josh McDowell Ministry found that half of all teenagers and almost three-fourths of young adults encounter porn on a monthly basis. 

Perhaps more disturbing is that both groups consider viewing pornography as less immoral than failing to recycle. The numbers of young women who view porn are also on the rise. After all, sex addicts are plying their trade right into their bedrooms through their smart phones. 

While I can’t eliminate the spread of porn, there are some measures I can take to make sure my eyes—the lamps of my body, allow in only what is pure and good. 

Investigating who I befriend on social media platforms is wise. When I receive a friend request, I take a gander at their page. If the posts are questionable, I ignore or decline the request. 

Porn is bound to pop up even when I take safeguards. If I’ve friended someone who later reveals themselves as a bad influence, I can unfriend them or quickly ignore the questionable post. 

If I find myself pulled by porn, I can take steps to guard myself against its presence. A preacher friend who struggled with this temptation chose to stay off the internet and to allow his messages to be filtered through his wife. 

Vision is powerful. What I see takes root in my mind, which in turn plays out in my actions. Being familiar with God’s guidelines for relationships—and understanding how porn distorts those principles, will go a long way in helping me resist the pull of porn. 

If you are pulled by porn, turn off the source.

Prayer: Father, draw our eyes only to what is pure in Your sight and beneficial for our spiritual growth. 

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