On the Alter of Sex: We Lay Ourselves.

There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, "The two become one." Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever - the kind of sex that can never "become one." There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another.
1 Corinthians 6:16-18 MSG


Pornography is killing men's drive to be the man.
Pornography is killing men's desire for relationships with their wives.
Pornography is killing men's thirst for real fellowship with God.
Pornography is the antithesis to commitment and intimacy.
Yet, we go to the trough willingly.


As a man in this era, with any image at my disposal, within a second of weak temptation, it is easy to fail in this area.  Over time pornography has has shown itself to have been the biggest wedge between me and my wife and a huge obstacle between a real relationship with God.  It created a bitterness in me that led to retreating from any desire for engaging my wife mentally.  For me, there was an attraction to pornography that could not be overcome without divine intervention.  I did not even see it as an issue until God brought it to light.  It is nothing short of a miracle, in my eyes, that I am not involved with this anymore, on a day to day basis.  I can not say that I have not fallen since I started praying to have this temptation taken from me but it has subsided greatly.  It can be accomplished by the power of prayer and willingness to turn away.


...and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9

There was a period of time which I had been praying for God's help with this yet, at the first sign of opportunity, I would return to the old-self-vomit.  God gave me a wake up call, in the form of a physical reaction to what I was doing.  It felt like a contortion.  It felt like I was being physically grappled by evil.  Contorting into a self-loving/self-loathing, lover of instant gratification.  Our Father in heaven wanted to remove this ugliness from my life.  With it I could not love my wife properly. I could not speak to God properly.  With it I could only see what was available to me through a frosted glass window.


As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.
Proverbs 26:11


...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. 
Phillippians 2:12-13


The sad thing is I don't need to put up a bunch of statistics to show you how it is killing marriages and weakening the backbone of civilization.  It is an obvious conclusion.  Sadly, it is sold to us today as the ultimate 'manly' thing to do in culture today.  We as a society are so accepting of it that those who abstain are seen as weak 'girly-men'.  We are told that all men do it, therefore it is normal.  It may be normal now but that doesn't mean that we should remain the prodigal son admiring the pig's filth.  Allow yourself to be truly challenged by God AND show yourself how strong you really can be.  
Don't allow yourself to be weak to the temptation. 
Don't let this keep you from what God has designed you to be.


Men!
Push yourselves away from the trough of vomit!
Return NO MORE!


Love your wives!
Turn to your God.
Ask for His mighty power to help you change your heart.