First of all, realize that you are not alone. The easy access to pornography on the Internet is a temptation that most Christian males have to gain victory over. This is why I established the “Take Your Stand Against Pornography” site on the Net. I am not above temptation, and neither is anyone else. The secret is how to win the victory over temptation.
The first step to victory is admitting that we need God’s help to get the victory. If you read the many testimonies at our “Take Your Stand” site, you will see that many fight this battle and WIN.
Second of all, do not feel guilty for being tempted. This is the first trick of Satan. If you are tempted, he makes you feel that you have already failed; so why not go ahead with the sin? Jesus was tempted just as we, YET without sin. Being tempted is a natural part of being a human; giving into temptation is a sin.
Third, do not feel that you are a failure IF a temptation is too much to handle alone. Yes, the Bible says that you will not be tempted beyond what you can stand, but it also tells us to flee temptation. I think using blocking software or limited access to the Internet is one of the best ways to flee the temptation. It is not “chickening out” but helping to give you an edge for victory..
NetNanny is one way to do this. You will have to let your parents set it up with passwords. You can beat NetNanny, however, but not without your parents knowing about it; so it will take some responsibility on their part to hold you accountable.
Another solution that really can't be defeated is one of the new Christian ISPs. CharacterLink (www.characterlink.net) and other Christian ISPs can provide you access to the Internet. These companies BLOCK porn sites at an ISP level, so you simply cannot go to inappropriate sites. It is like accessing an Internet that does NOT contain porn. Do not feel that by using blocking software programs or Christian ISPs, you are hurting your chances of becoming a mature Christian later when you are “out in the real world.”
The fact is that many godly men and pastors are using blocking software or limited ISP accounts because they ARE mature Christian men. (I know of two local pastors who installed NetNanny on each other’s computers so they do not have the password to override a bad site.)
I have been using NetNanny myself ever since it first came out, and we are moving to an ISP that provides blocking that is out of our hands.
A wise Christian man is not one who places himself in the path of temptation so he can laugh in Satan’s face. Such a man is full of pride, and soon to fall. It is the humble man who recognizes his weaknesses and seeks God’s help and accountability from his brother, which will stand against sin.
From your e-mail, I can see that you have a good
understanding of scripture and a deep relationship with your
Lord. Get the victory - one day at a time. Seek help from your
parents, use blocking software or Christian Internet access, and
WIN! Steve Hewitt, editor-in-chief
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