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| Addiction-Proofing You Life: The Challenge of Sexual Addiction Continued... |
Page 4 of 14 |
| |
| Nor can the evangelical
or his church provide protection through information and rules. The
Bible says that rules do not work in the character changing process,
nor does information substitute for the power of the Holy Spirit. So
we are pushed to the place where our own hearts have to be the final
and only protection against the work of the flesh. That is fine
because God intended the Christian’s heart to be the ultimate line
of defense anyway. The challenge of pornography is no more difficult than the other temptations of the flesh. But it is a new and powerful temptation. So two things have to be remembered. First, for many a novelty aspect exists to the pornographic explosion. That means that it will take some getting used to. Any new wrinkle or twist always catches interest and carries along many with enthusiastic and immature interest. Afterwards then, hopefully, boredom may follow. But this initial flood will claim millions of victims before the newness begins to wear off. The other reality to be remembered is that we may
not be used to managing our hearts as aggressively as we |
need to. To be
challenged within ourselves to deal with this assault is a
beneficial task. Working through this will make a person the better
for it. Finally and most important grappling with and conquering the pornographic challenge is a deeply practical way to learn the Christian life. All the elements of the addictive cycle are matched by the basic elements of Christian spirituality. As a person works through the challenge, the spiritual exercise will cement fundamental realities of the Father’s love and our Identity in Christ into the depths of the heart. If the church ceases relying on rules and religious information, and embraces a deeper relationship with God, this challenge from Satan with his flood of pornography may eventually resound to our good and God’s glory. Merely overcoming addiction is not the great goal. Overcoming addiction through a deep love relationship with God is the goal.
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