A. If the person is not a Christian, invite him or her to receive Jesus
Christ as Lord and Savior. Share "Steps to Peace with God," page 11.
Explain that involvement in lust through pornography is often an attempt on the part of the user to solve his or her problems of loneliness, isolation, pain, or guilt. It is an attempt to play God, creating his or her own world through fantasy. Jesus bore our sins and our sorrows. We must cast all our anxieties and cares on Him (1 Peter 5:7).
B. It is surprising to discover just how many Christians, including
pastors and leaders, are involved in some phase of pornography and its consequences. Providing help and healing for your inquirer will depend on the type of addiction and the level of involvement.
The person may have been agonizing over the addiction for years. Assure the person of our sympathy and desire to encourage and be of help. We do not sit in judgment and will prayerfully suggest a possible procedure.
3. The individual must accept the full weight of the problem:
A. Frankly face the truth of addiction to lust through pornography.
B. Boldly confront the problem with the Lord's help—without denial,
rationalizations, or minimizing.
C. Take responsibility for immediate action. This means to stop feeding
the addiction:
(1) Destroy all pornographic materials.
(2) Immediately stop visits to all places of temptation, such as
pornographic movies, adult bookstores, or video rental stores.
(3) Sever any relationships that have encouraged the addiction.
4. Begin a serious effort to build or rebuild a godly life. Full and ultimate freedom and restoration will demand a sincere commitment to seeking God:
"As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" (Psalm 42:1–2).
"And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13) (see also Mark 9:29; Philippians 3:7–17).
Godliness can be found as one submits to Christ's lordship through the disciplines of: