I hate pornography. 

And, honestly, so should you! 

Unfortunately though, more and more, it feels like looking at pornography is an epidemic. And not just out there in society, either. In our churches! If you had 50 percent of your church taking cocaine once a week, it wouldn’t be surprising if that church wasn’t effective. Pornography is like a drug. And I wonder how many people are coming to church week after week addicted. 

Now, obviously, that’s part of why we have the church. 

Jesus died to forgive people who look at pornography. And, He wants to change people who look at pornography. And one of the reasons He gave us the church is to help us change by speaking the truth to us so that we can better fight against sin’s lies. 

And I want to help you do that. 

I’ve found that sometimes people, even Christian people, don’t know why they should fight against pornography. You ask them, why should you not look at pornography and they say, because it’s wrong. And that’s all they have. Well, that is true, it is wrong, but if you are going to overcome pornography, it helps to have more reasons than just that one. 

So, I’ve taken a few minutes today and wrote down 36. 

I am sure there are more. 

But these are 36 reasons I came up with very quickly why I don’t look at pornography and why I hate it and why I am committed to fighting against looking at pornography for the rest of my life. 

I hope they help! 

1. I believe God knows how sex is supposed to work best and He’s told me in the Bible and that looking at pornography is not part of that good plan. 
2. I believe looking at pornography is stupid because I am trying to find pleasure in something God has already told me will not satisfy and will not ultimately fulfill His good design for sexual relationships. 
3. I believe God’s command not to commit adultery means I should not look at anyone who is not my spouse with lustful intent.
4. I believe looking at pornography is therefore sin.
5. I believe pornography lies at every level. It is trying to get me to follow it down a path that leads to pain, that leads to shame, that leads ultimately to spiritual death. 
6. I believe looking at pornography leads to looking at more pornography. Seemingly small compromises in this area will lead to bigger compromises in this area. If I look at pornography for a short period of time, it will lead to looking at pornography for a longer period of time. And if I look at pornography of one kind, it will lead to looking at pornography of another kind. 
7. I believe the people who struggle the least with looking at pornography are people who aren’t watching pornography. 
8. I believe looking at pornography makes my conscience hard. And a hard conscience is a scary, scary thing. I want a sensitive conscience which will keep me from sinning. 
9. I believe looking at pornography makes it harder for me to do what brings me the most joy which is to worship God. 
10. I believe looking at pornography makes it harder for me to focus on obeying God in other areas. 
11. I believe looking at pornography creates images in my brain that are very difficult to get out and that will make it difficult for me to obey God when I want to. 
12. I believe looking at pornography will make me worse at loving my wife and enjoying a sexual relationship with my spouse, because looking at pornography is fundamentally selfish, it makes sex all about me using someone else for my pleasure, and anyone who is selfish like that, isn’t going to be a very good lover. 
13. I believe the wrath of God is coming because of sins like pornography. 
14. I believe looking at pornography is the kind of sin I was saved from. It’s what spiritually dead people enjoy. It’s what spiritually blind people like to look at. It’s what people who are darkened in their understanding think about. 
15. I believe I am the temple of God. And looking at pornography is like worshiping a pagan idol in God’s home. 
16. I believe sexual sins are serious. As I look at society, I see the pain that sexual sin has brought as women are raped, children are abused, families are broken all by sexual sin. And I believe looking at pornography is connected to all those kinds of sexual sins. They are all part of a package. I may not be doing those other sins as I am looking at pornography, but I am doing one of the things that is connected to those other sins and that leads to those other sins, and I don’t want to have any part of that. 
17. I believe that looking at pornography is unkind to my spouse. It’s not fair to her. It is like a slap in her face. 
18. I believe that many people who have committed awful sins didn’t start out thinking they would commit those awful sins, but instead, thought they could control their problem with pornography only to find out when it was too late, that they couldn’t. 
19. I believe looking at pornography is a sin Jesus died for. I believe I have been purchased with a price. I believe that my eyes don’t belong to me. I believe that my mind is not my own. 
20. I believe that one day I will stand before God and that the Judge of the Universe hates pornography. 
21. I believe God is with me at all times and that he would know if I were looking at pornography and He hates it!
22. I would hate it if anyone in my family were ever exposed to people they didn’t know. That would be a terrible violation. And if I wouldn’t want that to happen to anyone in my family, I would never want to be part of promoting that to others. 
23. I believe really wicked people are using pornography to make money for themselves and do more wicked things and I don’t want to have any part in causing that system to thrive. 
24. I believe there are a lot better things to do and enjoy in life than looking at someone I don’t know having sex with someone I don’t know. 
25. I believe that if I met the people involved in the pornography industry in real life, if I were thinking straight, I would pity them and I would be grieved at the way sin is destroying them, not envy them. 
26. I believe that unrepentant sin in this area leads to hell. I believe that hell is much worse than any momentary sacrifice I might have to make right now not to watch pornography.
27. I believe that many young people have been hurt by older people who have compromised in this area, and I want to be a blessing to those who follow behind, not bring them grief. 
28. I believe that Jesus died that I might be holy, and that part of being holy means saying no to looking at pornography. 
29. I believe holiness is beautiful. Therefore, I believe that looking at pornography will make me more ugly spiritually. It will make it more difficult for me to become who I long to be. 
30. I believe because of Jesus, God actually sees me as holy right now. I am a holy one. That is such a huge privilege. And as a holy one, I don’t want to live like someone who is not. 
31. I believe I have been given the ability by God to say no to what I might sinfully desire at any given moment and that I don’t have to be enslaved by my desires. 
32. I believe sinful lust is a terrible tyrant and I don’t want to give that terrible tyrant any space to do damage in my life. 
33. I believe I have been placed in this world to be a light in the darkness. And I don’t want to do anything that would cause me to switch off that light. 
34. I believe that self-control in this area of my life will have tremendous benefits in other areas of my life. Saying no to this sin is saying yes to a million other things that I really want. 
35. I believe Jesus wouldn’t look at pornography and I want to be like Jesus. 
36. I believe God sees pornography for what it is, hates it more than I ever could, and yet is so gracious, and willing to forgive me for looking at pornography, because He punished Jesus for that sin on the cross, therefore I don’t want to look at pornography! 

If you are struggling with looking at pornography, I want to tell you several things. 

First, there’s a Savior for you. 

Pornography wants you to think your sin is too bad for Jesus to forgive. That’s a lie. Jesus came to save sinners. And He wants to save you. If you are a Christian and you are struggling with pornography, go back to the cross, think about Jesus dying for your sin, and specifically this sin, and confess it as sin, and thank Him for the forgiveness He provides. 

Second, Satan wants you to be so ashamed that you hide your sin and you don’t get the help you need. 

Sin thrives in the dark, so bring it into the light. Find someone who is godly, and let them know about your struggle, and ask them to pray for you. Now, they can’t live your life for you. They won’t be able to be with you all the time, so you are still going to have to fight. But, I think you will be surprised how helpful it is to know you are not in this fight alone and to have someone who will pray for you and ask you how you are doing. 

Third, don’t put off fighting this sin until tomorrow. 

If you have a lion who wants to eat you in your kitchen, you don’t wait until tomorrow to do something about it. Tomorrow may be too late! Sexual sin has huge consequences. Sexual sin wants to own you. Sexual sin is a terrible dictator. If you are going to be free from sexual sin, today is the day to begin! One simple way you can begin is by cutting off all access to pornography. Then, make a plan to do something productive and God-honoring during the times you are particularly tempted. 

Fourth, it’s going to be a battle, but if you are a Christian, it is a battle you will win. 

God’s plan is to present you holy, blameless and above reproach. That’s going to happen for Christians. What God wants to get done will get done. It might seem impossible right now, but what’s impossible for man is possible for God! There is hope. So stop telling yourself that you can never change, and start working on actually changing!

Fifth, overcoming pornography involves more than just saying no to pornography. It requires a commit to daily worship. 

When you are really enjoying your relationship with Jesus, you want to work at protecting the joy you find in Him, which then motivates you to want to say no to things like pornography. So, make a plan to working at delighting yourself in Him on a daily basis. If that concept sounds foreign to you, and you wouldn’t know where to begin, then this is exactly where you need to begin, or you will never find success! Find someone at your church who is godly and ask them to help you learn how to find your satisfaction in Jesus on a daily basis.