Pornography is one of the most significant struggles facing the modern Christian. Modern technology has made it possible for pornography and sexual immorality to be at the forefront of our daily lives, causing some of us to fall into darkness and spiral into addiction. How, as Christians, can we hope to overcome something seemingly forced down our throats every day?

65% of Christian men and 15% of Christian women say they watch porn monthly. Despite these staggering statistics, there is hope. Jesus Christ died for our sins, and with His victory, we achieve our own. However, doing so requires a significant change in your relationship with God and yourself. How does that work?

Ask for Grace: Without the grace of God, we are incapable of walking away from our sin. Believing in the Gospel and accepting Jesus into your heart will allow God to restore your heart and guide you into grace and renewal.

Pursue a Deeper Love: What’s at the root of pornography addiction? Idolatry-you love your sin more than you love God. That’s a wake-up call for many, but you have to understand this to pursue a deeper love of God. Pour over His Word, and set time aside to pray (perhaps when you are tempted to view pornography).

Hate Sin: Pornography is a poison that damages our relationship with God and to others in our lives. If left unchecked, it runs rampant and destroys our perception of self, marriage, and intimacy. Ask God to grant you heavenly sorrow for your sin, and hate the sin itself-not, just the aftermath.

Treasure the Word: The Bible is absolute. It grants us the truth when the world peddles us lies. His Word is the Sword of the Spirit and is our light in the darkness. We need His sword to fight off the sins of lust and appreciate the divine beauty of human sexuality sacred to God.

Confess: A sincere confession is blessed by God and paves the way to forgiveness and healing. Confide in God but also a trusted pastor, friend, and even your spouse. Confession is a challenging yet essential step in combating pornography addiction.

Remove Temptation: This one may seem obvious but can be the most challenging. Place filters on your devices and throw out any material that causes your flesh to be tempted. Remove yourself from situations that may cause you to fall back into sin by leaving the room, putting your phone down, or bending the knee in prayer.

Fellowship: Sin sometimes forces us to believe that we are alone in our battle. God has given us the church so we can be accountable to other believers. We can’t hope to battle sin ourselves, but with the love of Christ and his flock, we can denounce the lies whispered in our ear by our sins that we are alone.

Make a Game Plan: Bring the holy fight against sin to the world. Identify your key areas of weakness and structure your life around your strengths so that you might overcome those weaknesses. Temptations are strong, but we are stronger in the blood of Christ.

Invoke the Holy Spirit: “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” God isn’t leaving us alone in our fight against sin and addiction. God has given us his Spirit to defend ourselves and guard our hearts against the lies of our sin. When we walk with God, we leave our addiction behind.

Remember, we are not perfect. Jesus was perfect, and His sacrifice on the Cross allows us dominion over darkness. All we have to do is reach out and take it! Christian counseling services like NuWell can help carry your burdens through your journey to victory over your pornography addiction.