Several days ago, I got hit with an intense pull of lust. Initially I got discouraged, and was baffled, as to why my flesh was screaming. Then the Holy Spirit stepped in and showed me I was being attacked by a spirit of lust. After I took up my authority in Christ and shut it down, the pull vanished.
When I reflect on my years wandering in search of freedom from bondage to lust (which was most of the 1990’s), very little if anything was said about spiritual warfare by the counselors and support groups I sought help from, let alone the churches. The root of my ongoing porn binges must have been that I was a helpless sinner or a sex addict, as the 12 step groups told me. The oft-chanted mantra I heard in the 12 step groups I attended back then was that we were “powerless over lust.” While I was in deep bondage to sexual sin and incapable of overcoming my flesh in my own strength, I was in an intense spiritual battle that I was blind to and not equipped to deal with. The enemy was playing me like a violin.
Pornography is a Satanic product. Shelley Lubben, a former porn actress who is no longer with us, wrote:
“Sex-packed porn films featuring freshly-dyed blondes whose evocative eyes say “I want you” are quite possibly one of the greatest deceptions of all time. Trust me, I know. I did it all the time and I did it for the lust of power and the love of money. I never liked sex. I never wanted sex and in fact I was more apt to spend time with a bottle of Jack Daniels than some of the studs I was paid to fake it with. That’s right none of us freshly-dyed blondes like doing porn. We hate it. We hate being touched by strangers who care nothing about us. We hate being degraded with their foul smells and sweaty bodies. Some women hate it so much you can hear them vomiting in the bathroom between scenes. Others can be found outside smoking an endless chain of Marlboro lights. But the porn industry wants YOU to think we porn actresses love sex. They want you to think we enjoy being degraded by all kinds of repulsive acts.”
You can read all of Shelley’s article here – https://www.blazinggrace.org/the-truth-behind-the-fantasy/.
Many of the women who are faking it during porn shoots are drunk or stoned out of their mind. Tearing of the vagina and rectum are common. One former porn actress said her vagina tore during the first porn scene she shot. Drug and alcohol addiction in the porn industry are common, as are STD’s. Many women are coerced into darker acts than they were originally told. Those who leave the porn industry have years of healing from the trauma they experienced, that is, if they make it out alive. Some die from unnatural causes at a young age. 23 year old adult actress Olivia Lua died of an overdose of prescription drugs and alcohol in January of 2018. Four other adult film stars died around the same time as Olivia, including at least one by suicide.
Satan uses the cluster bomb of pornography to destroy those who create it, those who indulge in it, and their families.
Porn acts as a spiritual doorway that gives the demonic realm access to the lives of those who consume it, and their loved ones. When I was in bondage to porn I battled constantly with shame, lust, insecurity, fear, and anger. I lost often. The terror of telling anyone or asking for help were ever-present, as were thoughts of self-hatred and hopelessness. “There’s no hope; you’ll ALWAYS be a sex addict” were some of the lies I heard often. My shield of faith was shot up and beat up. It’s hard to believe that God will come through for us when we’ve been on a long losing streak.
The enemy uses the doorway of porn to mercilessly attack the wife. He spears her self-esteem, assaults her faith, and attempts to imprison her in fear, anger, and lies. If she hasn’t been equipped for spiritual warfare she may suffer in bondage and defeat for years as she assumes that many of the lies floating through her head are hers.
Then there are their kids. 75% of a child’s first exposure to porn is at home. Once hooked, their offspring can follow in Dad’s footsteps down into a hole of insanity for years if not decades. Stories of men and women who got their first exposure to porn from Dad aren’t rare.
Porn affects a person emotionally, physically, and spiritually; the healing and recovery process isn’t solely about spiritual warfare. Yet, if you’re not aware of how the enemy is coming at you and how to overcome you can continue to flounder. There’s no way a demonic product like pornography isn’t connected to spiritual warfare. One piece of this tragic opera is that the church is supporting Satan’s work, both by its consumption of porn by men and women, and its fear and refusal to face the topic head on.
My friends, we are at war. Are we acting like it? Does your church act like it?
The truth Satan doesn’t want you to know is that those who are in bondage to sexual sin are not doomed to a life of bondage. He wants to keep every believer blind to the powerful spiritual weapons that are readily available to them.
Consistent participation in a praying tribe, cutting off the stumbling blocks of temptation, resolving the heart issue and lies that the enemy attacks, rebuilding the character, developing a powerful prayer life, and learning how to successfully wage spiritual warfare are non-negotiable requirements to overcome.
And, it is time we made the porn industry a mission field. We spend millions of dollars sending missionaries to the far reaches of the globe. Why not send them to the mission field of lost souls in the porn industry in our backyard, especially since the US is the number one producer of pornography in the world and the church is one of its biggest customers? At the least, we can start praying for them.
We must not remain silent or passive on the porn epidemic in the church. We must equip our people to be warriors and fighters and challenge them to live their lives in a way that counts for eternity.
One way you can make an impact is to host a From Porn to Grace conference.
Contact us if you want to start the conversation.
For more on spiritual warfare, see https://theroguechristian.com/spiritual-warfare/