Are You Tired of Fighting and Losing the Battle Against that One Thing?

One thing. It is always one thing. One thing that keeps us from being closer to our Creator. We all have many things, but we also have our one thing. This one thing is what some might call a stronghold. A cornerstone of sin and distance. The one thing in our life we get uncomfortable thinking about confessing to one another The one thing which we know, in our heart of hearts needs to go. Yet we cling. We grasp like grasping for the wind.

Sitting in Chicago traffic on the way home from a hard days work in his new Audi Fred is enjoying some good talk radio. He hears there is heavier traffic than normal. Not just regular heavy Chicago traffic, but the kind of traffic one might prefer to call gridlock. Then it hits. Fred hits the brakes and sits. And sits. And sits. He waits. And waits. And waits. For 6 hours he sits, no movement at all. Not even an inch.

Fred, like the other drivers passed frustration hours ago and have settled into a defeated dear God please let us move sometime mentality. Connie, Freds wife, worries at home as she called and saw confirmed what Fred said on their call about the gridlock on the news. More time passes, it is now 7AM and it is time to start heading the other way to go to work. Yet, the problem is no better. Still no room to move. To make matters worse, those without nice vehicles just got out of them and left them on the road. Even if there could be movement there would be no possible way to move because only those with the nicer cars waited this long. Well, those with the nice car and the occasional fool who had nothing better to do than wait.

The stations traffic report say they see no hope of anything moving. Ever. Fred finds this hard to believe. After all, who has ever heard of traffic that never moves. Hed just wait it out. He would try and drive on the shoulder, but the shoulder was filled with cars as well.

Day three, Fred still sits in the car, nearly everyone else he knew were doing the same all being owners of classy cars. Fred is so hungry and going to the bathroom has proved to be a challenge. Thankfully he got the tint package for his Audi.

Day seven, in life there are some decisions when you reach a certain point there is no going back. Fred found a decision like this. By the end of day one, he proclaimed himself to be one who would stay as long as it took. It is odd, there is still a strange admiration for folks like Fred, who stay even though conventional (and non-conventional for that matter) wisdom is discarded. It is in the discarding they are respected for being those who do not live as obsequious sheep following the herd.

Day twenty one, Fred, still as focused as ever, decides to keep on lasting it out. No one else really wants to wait this long but to Fred the thought of losing that Audi he worked so hard for is completely unbearable. Fred tries to figure out any way to get out of the traffic and cannot think of any that dont involve leaving his prized car. One thing. For Fred it is his precious Audi. He will suffer anything to keep his hands on this car. Why? If we asked Fred, he might not even know. Sometimes there are vices and decisions we make that are so completely out of synch with reality, to try and explain it is complete futility.

Lets try and be fair though lets give Fred some credit and assume there are some legitimate reasons he has to do what he is doing. What are some options? Well, here is a list of thoughts he might have to justify his behavior

I have worked for years to be able to save enough for this car. I am not going to lose it for 2 days on the freeway.
There are many thugs and if I leave it, it wont be here when I am back.
The car is comfortable and this is the first real rest I have had in years.

I live 100 miles from home and even if I choose walking, it would take 7 to 10 days, and each day I get surprised there is still no movement.

I dont know how to walk, only how to drive

What do you think of his reasoning? Is there a time when he should get out of the car and go and at least get some food? Why do you think hed stay in the car?

If one car a mile down the road vanished and no one moved forward, how far could Fred go? If the car directly in front of Fred vanished, how far could Fred go? What would this tell us about the reality of Fred going anywhere? (What is it contingent upon?)

Now lets rewrite some of the story and place it in a different light

Sitting in his office on a Friday afternoon after a hard days work Fred is enjoying some internet surfing and good Bible study. A pop up hits the screen. This is not just a regular ad, but the kind of ad one might expect to see make a father weep if they saw their daughter posing for the ad. Then he clicks. An instant where a hidden desire hits the surface and concrete sin hits a man in the face with a force so powerful it usually dulls everything that is to come after. Fred hits the shades and turns off the lights in his office. And sits. And sits. He waits. And waits. And waits. In the thrill of the forbidden, the loading seems to take forever. For 6 hours he sits, no movement at all. Except his hands clicking objects and his lust raging and driving his fingers to click click. Click.

Fred, like the other surfers passed guilt hours ago and has settled into a defeated Dear God, I will stop doing this someday mentality. Connie, Freds wife, worries at home. She called the office and was told he would be working late. Why does Fred always have to work late on the weekend? It seems like he never has time for the kids anymore she thinks. She feels a little better when she got an E mail because it helped to confirm what she had already been told. Still she felt uneasy and wasnt sure why. Where is he? She goes to bed tired and lonely and like a bug attracted to light, Fred continues clicking images on his computer screen. More time passes, it is now 7AM and it is time to start heading back to work. Yet, the problem is no better. The lust in Fred still rages. His receptionist walks in startled to find Fred is still there and admires his work ethic. She looks even prettier to Fred this day as the thoughts of his wife grow more distant. He looks a bit ragged, but she attributes it to a long night of prayer or sermon prep.

Fred sees no hope of anything changing. Ever. Fred finds this hard to believe. After all, who has ever heard of a Christian and pastor who is so addicted to sin? Something like this must just be a phase. Hed just wait it out. He would try and be devoted to only his wife but other women seemed to occupy his mind at all times. Why did God make them beautiful if he wasnt supposed to look. He thought to himself It will not hurt anyone as long as I dont do anything with another woman

Day three, Fred still sits in the office, nearly everyone else he knew were doing the same Of course they didnt advertise it. After all, if he were doing this, they must be right? He sears his conscience again and pays another $10 to access more pictures. Fred is so the only word he can think of is hungry but ravenous might fit better. Thankfully there is a porn filter at the church he has worked around at least no one will suspect anything.

Day seven, in life there are some decisions when you reach a cetain point there is no going back. Fred found a decision like this. By the end of day one, he proclaimed to himself he would stay as long as it took to meet the needs Connie wasnt meeting. It is odd, there is still a strange admiration for pastors like Fred, who are so open with their own sin even if it is only to themselves they are so open and bold. It is in the discarding they are respected for being those who do not live as obsequious sheep following the herd. Maybe it helps those who admire them to see these vices having an impact because it is not convicting.

Day twenty one, Fred, still as focused as ever, decides to see if his wife would like to rent a porn flick. Connie begins to weep and Fred realizes it was a bad idea to bring her into this. She has always been too churchy and he should have known shed have a poor reaction to something so natural. Fred tries to figure out any way to get out of the mess he just made without getting rid of the sin which had him wrapped so tightly. One thing. For Fred it is his precious porn. He will suffer anything to keep his hands on this mouse awaiting the next image. Why? If we asked Fred, he might not even know. Sometimes there are vices and decisions we make that are so completely out of synch with reality, to try and explain it is complete futility.

Lets try and be fair though lets give Fred some credit and assume there are some legitimate reasons he has to do what he is doing. What are some options? Well, here is a list of thoughts he might have to justify his behavior

-Connie has been cold in her affection and a man needs to be sexually satisfied.
-No one really knows what I am doing, what they dont know wont hurt them.
-God made women beautiful and I am giving God glory by appreciating what He made beautiful.
-Sin like this runs in my family. My father used to watch porn flicks with me when I was a child and I have never been able to break its grip.
-With all the stress I feel as a pastor, I need an outlet to relieve this stress.
-My own habits are my own problem and others shouldnt be concerned as long as I do a good job preaching on Sunday.

What do you think of his reasoning? Is there a time when he should get out of the office and go and at least get some help? Why do you think hed stay in the office and continue with the porn addiction?

Like the man stuck in traffic, how must Fred deal with this issue? Will deciding to stop looking at porn next year help Fred overcome his addiction today? What about Connie, will she feel better if Fred tells her he thinks he can stopping looking at porn next year? What should Fred do? What lies does Fred believe? Are there any Biblical truths that could help Fred if he would really believe them?

Are you or someone you love struggling with internet pornography? Here are some Scriptures that might help you in this battle.

Job 31:1
Psalm 51
Ps 119:9,11
Proverbs 5
Proverbs 7:24-27
Proverbs 9:15-18; Prov. 20:17
Matthew 5:27-30
Matthew 6:13
Ro 6:6-8
Ro 8:12-14
Ro. 12:1-2
1 Cor 6:9-11
1 Cor 10:13
Eph 4:17-24
Eph 5:1-6
Phil. 4:8
Col 3:5-10
1 Tim. 6:11
2 Tim. 2:22
1 Pt. 2:1-3
1 John 1:9
1 John 5:21

There are plenty more, but these verses should help provide some ammunition for the fight.

Jesse Harwell writes articles and runs a Christian based coffee house in Gunnison, Colorado ministering to college aged students.

Oregon Personal Injury Funding
Personal injuries can result in either bodily or mental harm. If you, as a victim choose to take the help of the Law for recovering damager, it can mean a long legal battle. Most people use their personal money to fight personal injury cases and soon they are exhausted of all financial resources. They are also intimidated by large insurance compani...

Karmic Yoga: Co-creating With the Spirit in the World
There is a new movement going on right now that became more popular in the 1990s. Since then many people have been discussing the warrior archetype, by going back to the original meaning of warrior. In days of old, of course, many warriors throughout the ages and across various civilizations, prepared for battles and fought in conflicts. There wa...

A Personal Injury Lawyer Takes Care Of All The Needs
Life is one thing that is very unpredictable. No one knows what is in store for him or her and what can hit them the very next moment. Life is again full of surprises. These surprises can be beautiful and at the same time, these surprises can get equally ugly. One such ugly surprise can come in the form of an accident and especially, when the perso...

Overcoming Porn Addiction - 3 Tips To Kick Your Addiction
The internet is expanding at an amazing rate and with that comes an amazing expansion in porn sites and another less than pleasant consequence that is internet porn addiction. The anonymity of the web coupled with the ease of access to pornography has led to many people becoming a slave to the adult entertainment industry that can at the very least...

Drug Abuse Solutions
Drug abuse today is a major cause for concern and has a negative effect on society at large. Though students constitute a large segment of drug abusers, adults also succumb to drug abuse. There is a tendency amongst middle-aged people to abuse prescription drugs.The first step towards combating drug addiction is to make the abuser aware of the dama...

A Bit Of History About Military Camouflage Clothing
In 19th century and early 20th century warfare most armies wore uniforms consisting of brightly colored coats and trousers of matching or aesthetically contrasting colors. Various explanations for this practice have been given through the years. Providing a feeling of unity among the troops by seeing their comrades smartly dressed and making an imp...

Need Help With Porn Addiction?
If you suffer from porn addiction or know someone who does you may understand that like all behavioral addictions like gambling addictions and so on they are not so easy to break by just sheer willpower. Not to dismiss willpower as an important aspect of recovery but help with porn addiction needs to start at the root causes of the issues that have...