Mark 14:38 NKJV — “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
In this article, I am directing this toward the person who is struggling with addiction, more directly pornography addiction. A destructive vice used to crush the mental health of sexuality and sexual intercourse. Never has there been a more cataclysmic force against sexuality, marriage, and purity than pornography.
If you have a passive view of the detriments of this promiscuous media, I strongly urge you to reconsider.
Personally, I have struggled with this addiction for 15 years, after I was introduced to this type of sexual media at the infantile age of 10. I know, my innocence was stripped and darkness took hold of my heart’s desires and mind’s outlook.
I know there are many who struggle with this addiction and need support and help to rewire their thoughts and desires to God’s standard. It will take time to rewire and rework the mind, but you must know that you are free from the power of this particular sin.
Jesus dealt with its power and stronghold on the cross, you must know you are not a slave to it.
Pornography starts with temptation, a thought, reflection, image, or video. Not normally in the form of explicitness but subtly through atypically imposed practices by our national media. Mostly at that thought or prodding desire you go to access that content.
It is eventual, staggered, and normally catches you unawares.
So how do you stop entering temptation?
Watching and praying are the two points we will flesh out. Something Jesus simply and plainly put to the disciples in Mark 14:38.
Firstly we watch; observe what our hearts and mind consume. The word ‘watch‘ here has the sense of giving strict attention to, being cautious, or active. That’s not being dull, apathetic, or resigned to our sinful desires.
Watch for the trip hazards; those websites that showcase sexualised celebrities, images that can make you stumble, or feed the flame of imagination for pornography.
The power of pornography ‘holds strong’ in secrecy, habit, and the soil of the mind, so you must watch what seeds the mind consumes.
A great thing to watch is the word of God, let your mind be filled with that imagination and truth of scripture. Practice that activity daily and God’s word will come alive to you.
It was tiredness that caused the disciples in this verse to fall into temptation. I know in my life I am most susceptible to temptation when I am tired and lethargic. Idle thumbs! So I make sure; as much as it depends on me to be rested and ready for my day.
If I am tired I take mindful approaches not to be around suggestive sexual media.
Next, we pray
To ‘pray‘ was said next by Jesus, prayer is the Wi-Fi to power. We get the power we need for each task, battle, affliction, and struggle through prayer. This reality must become active in our minds, it must become our identity.
Not because we must try to ‘attract the universe’ or ‘persuade the unknown’, far from it; but because it is our God-given right in Jesus to live free from the power of sin! We see that in Romans 6:14.
Jude 1:20 NKJV — But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. You see, prayer builds you up, it is the bridge to strength and fortification. When you pray your spirit is built up, like a bodybuilder in the gym or a bricklayer constructing a wall.
It won’t feel easy, to begin with, you may feel withdrawn but press on towards holiness. With a sincere heart and cry out to God, he will restore and rewire your mind back to purity and holiness. I am that walking testimony among many others who have broken free, my friend you can have this blessing too.
We only need to ask in prayer continually and practice, watch, and observe the word of God.
The spiritual battle is often won or lost before the crisis comes. We prepare now for the war and temptation ahead. Perhaps Peter may have stood strong when questioned about his affiliation to Jesus; if he prayed at this point in Gethsemane.
Instead, he was sleeping, unprepared for the direct onslaught of the next 48 hours.
It is time to wake up
Are you asleep like Peter was, thinking, “I haven’t been tempted for some time now?” Prepare for the storm, prepare for the temptation; it will come.
Through prayer and companionship, we must stand beside others in their time of need. Hold up someone else if this is not you, we all have addictions just different cravings. Don’t look at someone with pornography habits as weird, see them as broken needing the Lord to fix their wiring. I believe the Lord uses His people to administer that healing, can you help them?
You can be free today from the lure and pull of pornography, but it is going to take you to wake up and watch and pray just like Jesus said so you do not fall into temptation.
Pray
- For God to give you the heart to pray and observe His holy Word
- To rewire your mind to holiness and realisation of the power of Jesus over porn
