September 13
“Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long over wine, those who go to taste mixed wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly; at the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and you mind will utter perverse things. And you will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, or like one who lies down on the top of a mast. ‘They struck me, but I did not become ill; they beat me, but I did not know it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink.’”(Proverbs 23:29-35)
These verses remind me of those who view pornography. It is like a form of drunkenness, but perhaps it is worse in God’s view. Not only is the mind drunk with lust, but immoral and evil images are permanently implanted in the mind, polluting the mind and becoming a source for demonic temptations for years to come. Plus Jesus clearly said, “Everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28)
Viewing pornography is like a drunken stupor in which adultery is committed many times over. It is like Bilbo Baggins in Lord of the Rings when he gets stabbed in the stomach by Shelob’s (a giant poisonous spider) stinger, injecting paralyzing venom, and then wrapped tightly in the spider’s web, like a suffocating cocoon. Pornography poisons the mind, turning it to delight in evil, paralyzing it and making it dull and unable to think clearly. It saps all your strength, like Sampson having his hair cut, losing his strength, being capture and bound and blinded. That is the true effect of pornography, and worse.
Those who view pornography, although not doing the acts in the flesh, commit immorality in their hearts and minds. If anyone thinks it is no big deal, or believes some nonsense about God making the body to be enjoyed (which I have heard as a justification for viewing pornographic movies, believe it or not), run from that person. They do not know what they are taking about and will lead you greatly astray.
Christians who view pornography know it is wrong; and afterwards know it is destructive to them. But do we realize how destructive it is? Do we realize how much loss we will suffer from God’s punishments: lost opportunities, squandered wealth, botched ministry, broken relationships, isolation and stigma, a lower view in the eyes of others that will never be totally removed, to just name a few? And what about a greater vulnerability to sin in general and paving the way for Satan to attack and make you stumble in the future? Are we ever gluttons for punishment! All for a very quickly passing fleshly pleasure, immediately after which we say to ourselves, “Boy that was a waste. I sure wish I hadn’t done that.” How deceived we become in this area!