This heartbreaking email that I received from a concerned wife and mother is brutally honest, and much of the church doesn’t know how to handle these issues. Sadly, we silently watch the enemy of our soul take us down one family at a time.
Researching this topic has been sobering and sickening. My goal is to offer grace and hope but not at the expense of avoiding the seriousness of sin. Nothing is more detrimental to our lives than sexual sin. The enemy doesn’t show a couple the pain and anguish or the years of regret that pornography (adultery) brings; he deceives them with the temporary enjoyment of illicit sex and a false sense of freedom from responsibility: “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell” (Proverbs 9:17–18).
If the full story was known beforehand, no doubt different choices would be made. The consequences of sexual sin are tragic. If we candy-coat this issue and fail to see it for what it is, we can easily be misled. “We are the first generation to be completely bombarded with graphic sexual material every time we get online. . . . What other time in human history has there been unlimited access to pictures and videos of every act imaginable (and unimaginable) with the click of a button?” (FightTheNewDrug.org).
Here are some mind-blowing porn stats from FightTheNewDrug.org:
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Porn sites receive more regular traffic than Netflix, Amazon, & Twitter combined each month. (HuffPost)
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People who admit to having extramarital affairs were over 300% more likely to admit consuming porn than those who have never had an affair, according to a 2004 study in Social Science Quarterly.
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Recorded child sexual exploitation (known as “child porn”) is one of the fastest-growing online businesses. (IWF) . . . AND is hosted on servers located in all 50 states (Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection). How is this even possible if it’s illegal?
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In 2016 alone, more than 4,599,000,000 hours of porn were consumed on the world’s largest porn site. (PH Analytics). The top three searches are heart-wrenching.
Throughout Scripture, adultery, especially spiritual adultery, was the downfall of many. Adultery begins in the heart. In Matthew 5:28 (NIV), Jesus says, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Porn removes intimacy from the marriage and gives the devil a place in your home—more arguments, less love. It quenches and grieves the Spirit and, therefore, robs us of joy and peace. But there is hope for the fallen. I recently spoke on hope, and if you need encouragement, listen here.
Porn is an extreme attack on our families and on our nation. Here is the first and most important point: An extreme attack will require an extreme defense. “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:29).
Cause means to provoke, trigger, induce, inspire, and motivate. If something in your life provokes, triggers, and motivates sin, cut it out. Avoid places that stimulate lust. Watch the sermon here for more insight on removing stumbling blocks.
Ironically, as I was sending this article to print, the following message appeared on Facebook that validates the urgency and importance of full surrender:
I want to confess publicly: I have known of Shane for a long time, however I only started closely following his messages in the last year or so (I live in Florida). When I was younger I sometimes thought his approach was too harsh. I thought, “Well, some of his points are good, but he’s going overboard.”
But let me say that time and time again in my family and in our circle of friends he has been proven right. NEVER ONCE have I personally, or anyone I’ve talked to, looked back and thought “I wish I had been less vigilant or less careful.” Never once have I thought, “I wish I had not been so committed to holiness.” It’s always the reverse. It’s always looking back and thinking, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming.” Or “I didn’t realize the danger.”
Again, an extreme attack from the enemy will require an extreme defense. The Apostle Peter begs us to “abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11) as we run to Christ.
