Monday, 24th June 2024
Bible Reading: Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs 23:19
Memory Verse: I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman. Job 31:1 (NIV)
It is sad but true that marriage may not completely solve the problem of pornography, and by extension masturbation. Sin could be addictive, especially sexual sins. Deal with the act of watching porn now before it destroys you. Today, let’s consider the effects and way out of pornography.
EFFECTS: I. Distorted Perceptions to Sex and Relationships: Pornography can create unrealistic expectations of intimacy and sexual behaviour, impacting healthy relationships and contributing to sexual dysfunction.
II. Spiritual Harm: Engaging with pornography can lead to guilt, shame, and a disconnect from God, hindering spiritual growth and well-being.
III. Emotional and Psychological Damage: Pornography use can contribute to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem, impacting overall mental health.
WAY OUT: I. Seeking God’s Help: Deliverance prayers and reliance on God’s grace are crucial in overcoming the struggles associated with pornography.
II. Accountability and Support: Joining support groups or seeking guidance from trusted mentors or spiritual leaders can provide accountability and encouragement.
III. Replacing Negative Habits: Engaging in activities that promote mental and spiritual health, such as spending time in nature, pursuing hobbies, and building healthy relationships, can provide positive distractions and counter negative patterns.
IV. Focus on Purity: Cultivating a mindset focused on purity and God’s design for sex can help reorient desires and prioritize healthy relationships.
V. Utilizing Resources / Seek Professional Help: Several Christian organizations offer resources and support for individuals struggling with pornography, such as websites, hotlines, and counselling programs.
VI. Obedience to specific instructions: Until Praise Fawowe obeyed the voice of the Holy Spirit which told him to share his ‘Sextimony’ (the testimony of his sexual escapades publicly before the Church), he was not delivered from the grip of porn and masturbation. It is wisdom to ask the Holy Spirit to tell specifically what to do when it seems all efforts have failed.
VII. Daily Meditation on the Word of God: There is something about the Word of God. It reconfigures your mind. Words are food to the soul. To meditate means to think deeply on something. Mediate on scriptures such as Colossians 3:5, 2 Timothy 2:22, 1 Corinthians 6:15-22, Romans 6:14a, Proverbs 4:23, Romans 12: 1-2 until the life and fire in those words purge your soul.
Assignment: Please watch the film titled, ‘Exposed’ by Seun Adejumobi.
Quote: A porn habit can be triggered by watching an entertaining video on an ungodly website. Scripture says don’t stand there, run! Treat porn as if it were a car coming your way about to hit you. Get out of there! Don’t be a fool. You are no match for it. Run!
Prophetic Decree: May porn and masturbation become irrevocably distasteful a very distasteful appetite, in Jesus name.
Prayer Focus
1. My Father, please forgive me of polluting my body, in Jesus name.
2. Holy Spirit, please consecrate my eye gate today, in Jesus name.
3. Holy Spirit, please consecrate my heart gate today, in Jesus name.
4. Holy Spirit, please consecrate my ear gate today, in Jesus name.
5. Anything that must happen for me to be sexually pure, O Lord, bring it my way, in Jesus name.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 10-12