'Power Over Porno'
Pornography and all other types of sexual
temptations are causing men to fall into the devil's trap of corrupting their
minds which is often followed by acts of illicit sex. This is probably the sin
most responsible for causing Christian men to fall from fellowship with their
Savior!
The availability of pornographic materials
is growing as each day goes by including the sexually suggestive
advertisements, sit-coms on T.V. and the further we go, and the more we list,
the deeper the devil's web is spun. However, we are not here to discuss the
sinful garbage that is out there and available, but we want to emphasize what
God's Word teaches to provide 'Power Over Porno', victory over sexual
temptation for those who are willing to follow the instruction given in the
Bible.
The book of Proverbs abounds with powerful
principles given by Solomon to his sons, for one of his primary objectives in
writing Proverbs was to warn his sons of the sexual temptation the 'strange
women' or prostitute/flesh-for-sale woman would bring into their pathway if
they didn't obey the instruction of their father.
Twenty-two times Solomon used the address
'My son' in the book of Proverbs, and many of these pleas were followed by
warnings and wisdom to give his sons 'Power Over Porno' or sexual temptation.
The great sin of Solomon is described in I Kings 11:1-6 which can be briefly
summarized by saying his love for the strange women caused his heart to turn away from God to go after
the strange gods of the women he was taken by influencing his sons, the people
of Israel, and Solomon himself as he became the one who actually established
the abominable idol worship by building the places where the idols were
worshipped.
He then recognized his great sin and
penned the book of Proverbs to give guidance to his sons that would follow
after him. Rehoboam, the son who would succeed Solomon on the throne did not
take foreign wives like his father Solomon, but he appeared to obey these many
warnings concerning 'strange women'and the 'Power Over Porno'.
But, he too would have a multitude of
wives and concubines totaling seventy-eight! However, it could well be that the
warnings from his father Solomon found so frequently in the book of Proverbs kept
him from the sins of his father in relation to sexual temptations, although the
final word on Rehoboam was: 'And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart
to seek the Lord.' (II Chronicles 12:14)
Regardless of Rehoboam's failures or successes in the area of sexual
temptations, the book of Proverbs has vital instruction to the Christian man
for 'Power Over Porno'!!
And, it begins in Proverb 2:1-9 where
Solomon gives instruction on attaining the Wisdom of God then showing Wisdom's
necessity for Delivering the Believer from the Way of the Evil Man (v.10-15);
Delivering the Believer from the Strange Woman (v.16-19); Providing the
Believer with the Ability to Walk in the Way of Good Men (v.20-22).
This powerful Proverb outlines the
necessity of God's Wisdom for deliverance from the two negative aspects of life
and the source of the positive Walk of the Believer! The 'Power Over Porno'
aspect is found in (v.16-19 where the 'strange woman' ( the prostitute, the
harlot, the flesh peddler, the woman who sells her body, soul and spirit for
material gain) and her characteristics are briefly discussed.
Keep in mind, that any woman that is
willing to put her body on display is putting it up for sale, for if it is on
display it is for sale, and if it's on display those who buy it could be
'committing adultery with her already in his heart.' (Matthew 5:28) So, the woman who displays the shape of her
body putting it on display and therefore putting it up for sale, is in reality
the 'strange woman' of the book of Proverbs!!
What is it that gives deliverance over
this 'strange woman' ? It is the Wisdom
of God!! Yes, the Wisdom of God, but not just the knowledge of the Wisdom of
God, no, for having the knowledge only will not keep us from falling into this
sin or any other sin, we must apply the knowledge and this Proverb gives us the
tools for application of knowledge and it is found in (v.1): 'My son, if thou
wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee', there it is, there
is the application of God's Wisdom, it is found in 'receiving and hiding' the
Word of God within the very being of the Believer!
It is this activity that will bring about
the ability to 'incline thine ear unto Wisdom' (v.2) it is this activity that
will bring about the ability to 'apply thine heart unto knowledge' (v.2)! This
'receiving and hiding' the Words and Commandments of God within your being will
bring about the 'understanding and finding the knowledge of God' (v.5) for it
is the effect of the indwelling power of the supernatural Word of God that
provides the victory to give 'Power Over Porno' and any other sin that comes
against the child of God (Psalm 119:11).
Look at Proverb 5:1,2: 'My son, attend
unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding; That thou may regard
discretion and that thy lips may keep knowledge.' (v. 3-6) give additional
characteristics of the 'strange woman' (the prostitute, the harlot, the flesh
peddler, the woman that sells her body for material gain). (v. 7,8) provide
additional instruction for 'Power Over Porno': 'Hear me now therefore, O ye
children (male offspring) and depart not from the words of my mouth. Remove thy
way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house.'
Here, long before the New Testament
teaching of 'Flee fornication (all types of sex sins)' (I Corinthians 6:18),
and 'Flee youthful lusts' (I Timothy 2:22). Solomon pens this primary teaching
concerning victory over sexual temptation!! Remove, flee, run away from it and
'don't even think about going near it again' to put it in the vernacular. This
is the second principle for 'Power Over Porno'!
The first one is positive: 'Memorize and
meditate on the Living Word of God' Hebrews 4:12 tells us 'For the Word of God
is quick (living Spiritually/alive Spiritually) and powerful and sharper than
any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart.' Jesus made this statement about His Words: 'The Words that I speak
unto you they are Spirit and they are Life' !
What more do we need? What else must be
proven? It is the Word of God that supernaturally gives victory over the sexual
temptations we face, it is the Word of God within the believer that provides
'Power Over Porno'! Jesus Himself utilized the already written Word of God when
he battled the devil being tempted three times in Luke 4:1:13 even though
anything He said would have been the Word of God, He used already existing
Scripture from the book of Deuteronomy to give us the perfect example of how to
win over temptation! If the first seven proverbs are studied, you will find
that Solomon commanded his son to memorize/meditate on the Word in each one!
Let us continue our study in the book of
Proverbs by looking at Proverb 6:20-25: 'My son, keep thy father's commandment
and forsake not the law of they mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart,
and tie them about thy neck. When thou go, it shall lead thee; when thou sleep
it shall keep thee; and when thou awake, it shall talk with thee. For the
commandment is a lamp and the law is light and reproofs of instruction are the
way of life; To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue
of a strange woman. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her
take thee with her eyelids...'
Here again the two principles that will
provide 'Power Over Porno' are given by Solomon to his son:
1.
Keep thy father's commandment...bind them continually upon thine heart...
2.
Lust not after her...neither let her take thee...
The positive practice of keeping the Word
of God in your heart and the negative practice of not lusting and not letting
yourself be taken are here again underlined for victory over sexual temptation!
Turn now to Proverb 7:1-27 for this entire
Proverb is given over to this same subject! In (v.1-5) the positive commands
are given as in the previous passages: 'My son, keep my words, and lay up my
commandments with thee. Keep my commandments and live and my law as the apple
of thine eye. Bind them upon of thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine
heart. Say unto wisdom, thou art my sister, and call understanding thy
kinswoman. That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger
which flatters with her words.'
Once again the 'Power Over Porno'
instruction is repeated supplying the Believer with layer upon layer of
consistent truth from the Word of God for complete victory over sexual temptation.
Verses 6-27 contain the most complete description of the 'strange woman' and
her tactics in seducing a young man. The
book of Proverbs contains at least eighteen specific characteristics of the
'strange woman':
1.
Flatterer (2:16, 6:24, 7:5, 7:21)
2. Sweet Talker (5:3)
3.
Smooth Talker (5:3)
4.
Movable/Unstable (5:6)
5.
Uses Outward Looks to Seduce (6:25)
6.
Flirts/Initiates Contact (6:25) 7. On
the Hunt/Looking for Victim (6:26, 7:13)
8.
Subtle (6:26)
9.
Sleazy Dress (7:10)
10.
Stubborn (7:11)
11.
Loud Talker (7:11)
12.
Roams Streets (7:11,12)
13.
Agressive (7:12,13)
14.
Seductive (6:25, 7:12ff)
15.
Adultress (6:32)
16.
Evil (6:24)
17.
She Leads to Physical Destruction (7:26)
18.
She Leads to Spiritual Destruction (7:27)
Victory over sexual temptation, 'Power
Over Porno' can only be accomplished by obeying the instructions Solomon gave
to his sons, the positive: Memory and meditation on the Word of God and the
negative: Fleeing, removing yourself from the very presence of sexual
temptation!
If you have been caught in the devils trap
of pornography you can have victory by utilizing this three-fold formula:
1.
FULL Confession to God (I John 1:9)
2.
FLEE from the presence of porno/sexual temptation (Proverb 5,6,7; I Corinthians
6:18; I Timothy 2:22)
3.
FILL your mind, soul and spirit with and memorize/meditate on the Word of God
(Proverb 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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