Porn Addiction

Porn Addiction – The War
Many men are waging war against the devastating enemy of porn addiction—a war that seems unbeatable.

The movie, Rocky Balboa, came with much testosterone-prompted anticipation. One trailer for the movie portrayed Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) speaking while a close-up of his bruised, blackened, and determined eyes visually expresses the struggle he was undertaking. It was what he says in that trailer that intrigues me the most. I hear it as a motivational word to men who war against a seemingly untamable and unbeatable foe, an addiction to pornography.

“What is it you said to the kid? The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very rough mean place. And no matter how tough you think you are it will always bring you to your knees and keep you there, permanently, if you let it. You or nobody ain’t never going to hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. If you know what you’re worth, go out a get what you are worth. But you’ve got to be willing to take the hit.”¹

Warring against an addiction to pornography leaves a man battered and beaten by his enemy. In times of strength, the man hits his enemy with everything he has. As a result, he may encounter days, weeks, and sometimes even months of false victory. The man begins to embrace a counterfeit confidence as he watches his enemy stagger in the corner. However, one moment of weakness refreshes his nemesis with such velocity that the man is propelled into a barrage of pornographic beatings. These beatings lead to a cycle of strife, shame, lies, and guilt as the man attempts to cover up his weakness. Inevitably, this leaves the man feeling like a fraud and a disbeliever in himself and the faith he has in God; weakening the determination that is suppose to sustain him in battle.

Porn Addiction – The Personal Struggle
I have found myself battling porn addiction more than just a few times. However, this is why the above quote from the latest Rocky film stuck out to me so much. Because it gave words to an understanding I have gained throughout my personal war against pornography. Half the battle is understanding that it is not how hard one can hit, or even how long one can remain in victory, it’s how hard he can get hit and keep moving forward.

A leader in my life once told me that the struggle is a great sign. If the struggle isn’t happening, then something is wrong. It is the struggle that tells a man that he is still on the right path and that hope is still in the air. The struggle is not the end point or the final goal; however, if you are not struggling then you have already lost or given up. That is, unless you have reached that final goal and have completely defeated your enemy. However, is this really possible for us mortals? The answer is yes, but only through Christ; we cannot defeat out enemy on our own.

Porn Addiction – The Victory
I have had many years and opportunities to figure out my weaknesses in the area of porn addiction. Yet my question has always been; why do I have to be the one to struggle with this? Why couldn’t my struggle be with something else? As I have searched for the answer I have come to understand that victory is sure, but the only way I will ever bask in it is to stay the course, run the race, take the punches, and keep moving forward in my walk with Jesus Christ. He is my redeemer, my healer, my hope, and my strength. I cannot do this by myself and counting my days of victory will never prove successful. I can only look to Christ my king, stand firm, and let nothing move me. He makes it possible, for “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

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¹ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.

For help information on porn and sexual addiction, we recommend Every Man's Battle by Arterburn and Stoeker.

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