“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell” (Matthew 5:29).
In the fourth chapter of Finally Free, Heath Lambert writes about getting serious in the battle against pornography. He encourages those struggling with this sin to take radical measures to fight it. What do these measures look like? Lambert talks about them in regard to three different areas: thought life, use of time and access.
Thought Life
- “The truth is that you could be alone in a room filled with pornography and remain pure if you had no desire for it. In fact, this is the long-term goal” (p. 63).
- “If you only attack the outward behavior, the problem will keep returning. You must uproot pornographic lust in your thinking, dealing with what Jesus unveils as the lustful intentions of your heart” (p. 64).
- Specifically, Lambert gives “three radical measures you can take with regard to your thinking.” These are: repent immediately, remember Scripture, and reach out for help (pp. 64-65).
Use of Time
- “This means you must limit the amount of time you spend alone – especially in the early phases of the struggle against pornography. Be honest with your accountability partner about the typical times when you are alone and find yourself tempted. Make plans to spend those times with others” (p. 66).
Access
- In this section, Lambert offers many practical suggestions for taking radical measures. These are ways that “[sever] yourself from your sources of pornography” (p. 66). For example, you can destroy printed pornography in your possession or install protective software on your internet devices. Going further, you could even ratchet back technology to restrict internet access – like switching from a smartphone to a flip-phone.
In taking radical measures, don’t forget the foundation for all of this is God’s grace through Jesus Christ. “Only Jesus has the power to change your heart desires, and he does this as you believe in his forgiving and transforming grace” (p. 72).
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Come back next week for Chapter 5: Using Confession to Fight Pornography.
“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8).
