Free from your prison!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.
Psalm 119:37
I was stuck or I have to say addicted to pornography for many years and now have a passion to get men to understand how it effects our relationship with God’s and our spouse in an extremely negative way. But the main thing for us men to understand is that by consuming porn, then I mean everything from pictures, videos, chat, to even fantasies, we lock ourselves into our own prison where there is no freedom or life. There is nothing divine in porn, there is nothing there that can get our intimacy with our wife’s better, there are no positive effects at all. Pornography has been shown, in many various research, to be as addictive as drugs, and the major problem is the availability is extremely large. Studies also have shown that men who become free from viewing porn and porn-addiction also become free from depression, become more creative and accomplished more in their lives and families.
We have access to millions of images through our mobile phones, a possibility that has only been a possibility in recent years. When I first found a “dirty” magazine in my dad’s drawer I was just only 11 years old, the amount of pictures in the magazine was perhaps 10-12, after I had finished the paper it was the end, perhaps for the excitement sake maybe I flipped through it again. Unfortunately, this was the opening for me and it lead me into an addiction as adult. So when I bought my first computer and got me a modem so that I could surf on the exciting new Internet, it opened up a whole new world for me. I could now sit alone in my apartment and find new pictures every day, every hour, every second. After I met my wife and got saved I knew in my spirit that what I did was wrong, but could somehow not stop. I asked many within the church why it was wrong, the response was often, it is extremely degrading to women. I could certainly agree with them, but unfortunately it couldn’t answer the other questions I had. Women I had chatted with, and seen, they seemed to like it, and even find it exciting .
My porn consuming didn’t stopped completely after I got married or got saved and when the problems in our marriage became stronger I escaped to pornography’s world more and more. What I did not realize then was how extremely addictive it was and that I locked myself in my own little prison, somehow it was not me anymore who made the decisions, I hade longing for it, simply put I was addicted. Through my own journey from ignorance, addiction, knowledge, understanding, freedom and now my journey towards wisdom, I have been able to discuss this with my children about extrem effect the pornography have on your brain and our relationship with God. I was born in the 70′s and it is a generation that grew up with newspapers and grew into the Internet world. I have seen through our work, many men who have created their own prisons by the own choice, but especially the new generation who is totally lost – our children. The average age today of first exposure to pornography is 11 years, I know that my son 10 years old have seen pictures that he should not see. It is time that we men take responsibility, to ensure that our children and future generations understand “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. But I have come to give life and life more abundantly.” John 10:10
For us men to lead and teach our children about pornography’s extreme effects, we need to first become free from our own prisons, to become completely free from pornography. It is time for us men and pastors dare be free and then dare to teach and lead us to Him who can set us free. And let Jesus come and bring the abundant life.
Johan Odén
Family & Friends International
Twitter: @johanoden
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