Our involvement in viewing pornographic materials has been constantly and consistently grounded on the realities associated with both indulgence and resistance when it concerns sinning against God.
In fact, since there’s no middle ground here, the way we choose to respond to a particular urge will ultimately end up being the very manifestation of either one of them.
But since there’s an ongoing battle between both of them, this is what happens when we get caught up between the need to indulge in versus the need to resist when experiencing an urge to watch porn.
1) The Reality Of Indulgence
The need to indulge in is always fueled by what we’ve been getting out of this behavior, which then generates a strong willingness, excitement, or curiosity toward seeking more of it at any cost.
The perceived reward awaiting us on the other side when we finally get what we want is that it will make us feel good primarily by releasing the mental, emotional, and physical distress tormenting our mind and body.
It will make us feel good primarily because we just want to feel good. We enjoy the feel good feeling derived from indulgence because it does something unique and transcendent for us.
Our system has interpreted the very stimulation that viewing porn produces in our lives as something essential that we’ll need to get an edge over the issues of life taking a toll on our mental and emotional state of being.
► This discomfort is based on the idea that what I’m about to get is something that I need and I need it now. I need to experience the relaxing effect of porn entering my system so that I can feel differently now.
► My system is in desperate need of it because it misses terribly the instant gratification that it used to get after days of refraining from this habit. It also misses the very scenes that I used to watch freely at will.
► Since my system is desperately craving for what I’ll get for sustenance and self-gratification purposes, choosing not to have it now will start wreaking havoc through my mind and body.
In short, this generates the willingness to indulge in.
2) The reality of resistance
What we’ll have to lose by resisting the urge to indulge in until it fades away, which creates a bold unwillingness not to allow that to ever happen.
The impression is that we need something quick that can save us from the treacherous path of the current moment taking a toll on our thinking and how we feel.
Therefore, what we will be getting by giving in has become our potential savior. It has become the element that can calm down the raging storm of impulses that triggers and cravings generate.
The perceived consequence of being willing to lose it by choosing not to give in is that the storm will worsen. The desire will get more intense. This thing tormenting our mind; in other words, this thing that leaves our mind restless will never go away.
This creates the unwillingness to resist urges. Resistance has become a big no-no. It’s even sensed as a threat to our physical and mental wellbeing.
I’m very sure that you clearly see how you get pinned on both sides of the realities that surround this addiction regarding responding to its urges.
The Massive Spiritual Implications Of These Two Realities
When you and I get trapped in the realm of these two realities mentioned above dominating our thinking to the degree that we want to rebel against God, this automatically positions us in a selfish and hostile spiritual state where we don’t need Him.
That’s when His presence becomes useless in our lives by our sinful attitudes and motives toward the instant gratification that porn has to offer.
We become careless about His Word. The truth of His Word is completely buried under the massive weight of the insatiable and uncontrollable desires driving us toward this behavior.
The truth that we know is being suppressed within as a result when getting entangled in the rebellious atmosphere in which our desires become the leading factor pushing us toward indulgence.
In this case, we behave just as if His truth was nonexistent.
That’s also when we experience such a crippling heaviness weighing us down concerning seeking His assistance.
We are no longer interested in relying upon Him for sustenance. Fear of Him has become nonessential. We don’t need His satisfaction to quench that thirst for sin we are experiencing.
Jesus sacrificial death on the cross on behalf of us which intended to grant us victory over sin gets to become irrelevant.
The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit intended to empower us to practically walk into what was accomplished through Christ gets to become meaningless.
These are some of the things that we normally experience when we are taken for a ride in these two realities on the road of rebellion.
The Need To Think Everything Through
And when you are in the process of giving in, your mind will be zeroed-in on either one of the porn scenes that you watched, an upcoming scene, or a need to find out what is new since you’ve been away for a while.
Your mind is going to get preoccupied by these following thoughts in which you are deeply talking to yourself:
- I don’t want to lose on watching that porn scene.
- I cannot lose that experience.
- I just cannot miss that upcoming scene.
- I cannot afford not to rewatch that scene stuck in the forefront of my mind because there was something I missed in terms of the visual and graphical details of such scene that I want to relook at.
- I have to give in to see or take a peek at what is on the other side; in other words, I have to go and see it.
- I just don’t feel like resisting it due the intense pressure that I’m experiencing now.
- Just one more time, one more last time will be sufficient. One final full dosage of pleasure will be enough before I can honestly choose to forsake it all.
These are the key factors that are always sending you off course in your quest to victory over your porn addiction by causing delay after delay in the sense of you not willing to do what needs to be done when necessary.
They all revolve around lies.
These lies become an integral part of your behavioral responses.
They tend to always make sense within the context of the current situation because they are just an expression of the internal and external annoyance and desperation that you are enduring.
They are also a manifestation of the instinctive need for instant gratification and relief that we want so bad.
These lies that are firmly grounded on fleshly desires are intended to lead us away from God due to the fact they are in direct opposition to the truth of His Word.
When embracing them mentally and acting out upon them, they disconnect us from the spiritual reality of the truth we already know by turning off our hearts toward God.
You need to also understand that masturbation always sneaks itself behind these thoughts plaguing our mind.
Your indulgence tends to resort into masturbation thereafter, which is the pinnacle of your continuous involvement in this habit.
If you can beat these thoughts, you will be on your way to victory over this habit.
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