Decoding the world’s most underestimated drug

The ‘brotherly’ love with which Christians are instructed to love one another (Romans 12:10), is characterized in scripture as the type of bond found between members of one family. It is interesting that God chooses the bond of the family unit to illustrate His teaching on love. Elsewhere in scripture God further defines the caliber of love that is supposed to prevail in the home circle when He instructs husbands to love their wives up to the measure of love that drove Christ to give His life to redeem the human race from the irreparable ruin of sin. The family and the home circle is clearly much more important to God and the cause of Salvation, than many realize. It is little wonder then that God’s enemy has designed some of his most sophisticated strategies of destruction, especially with the home as a target.

The world’s most underestimated drug for example, attacks the home so stealthily and effectively that by the time many couples decide to do something about it, they’re already on a path that ultimately ends in divorce and potential emotional and psychological trauma for their children. Consider just three of the various areas of attack this drug is lethally active in:
A high degree of focus and consecrated affection is required to sustain the beautiful picture of love God elaborates on in Proverbs 5:18-21. Focus toward one’s spouse feeds and enables love and healthy sexual relations. Fantasy however, is the superficial counterfeit that erodes authentic love in the home. In His teaching on adultery, Jesus considers even fantasizing about casual sex to be the same as physically indulging in it (Matthew 5:27).

The emotional, spiritual and mental intimacy implied by a husband and wife knowing each other (Genesis 4:1) is the true force of a vibrant sexual relationship and the glue that keeps a marriage together. Intensity on the other hand is the dangerous obsession that leads people to want to lie with each other (Genesis 39:7, 2 Samuel 13:1-11). The regrettable consequences of chasing intensity for its own sake can be seen most poignantly in the horrifying sexual assault statistics of this world.
The calming effect that comes from a refreshing and satisfying love-based sexual encounter (Proverbs 5:19) is the spark that keeps the fire of married romance burning. Unfortunately the numbing effect produced by the indulgence of lustful sensuality (Ephesians 4:19) is the often undetected poison that kills married love

These three (fantasy, intensity and numbing), are just a few of the munitions in the vast arsenal known to the world as pornography. The illicit scenes depicted in pornographic material have a powerful numbing effect which – through continued use – progressively deadens the brain’s capacity for processing emotion. Sadly, the health and growth of family relationships depends heavily on the extent to which family members connect with and relate to each other by processing and sharing their emotional realities. Pornography is expertly designed to draw the user out of reality into the fantasy world where women are cruelly stripped of their identity as created daughters of God meant for love. In this fantasy world, the image of a lustful, mindless sex object is forced onto women. The sad reality however is that many of the women depicted in pornographic media are paid sex workers or victims of the world depraved system of human trafficking. The use of this mental and emotional drug leaves countless wrecked families in its wake and is often as destructive as, if not more so than any known addiction.

The trouble with pornography is that users seem able and willing to find any and every justification to keep using, convinced that they really control it, that they are not addicts and that it is something everybody does. Fortunately for the Christian, scripture provides the truth that the iniquities a person does will trap him or her, he or she will be held with the cords of their sin (Proverbs 5:22, 23). Any person who has ever been addicted can testify to the fact that they may want to break free and may even believe they control their habit. But the word of God shows that sin, in all its forms is addictive and leaves a person feeling trapped and held onto, without the power to break free.

At GraceOnline, addiction specialist Kennith De Kock applies time tested, internationally leading principles to equip and empower men caught in the deception of pornography, to break free and stay free long enough to establish and secure a fulfilling, fruitful life that has no place at all for pornography and problematic sexual behaviour. If you are struggling or know of someone struggling with the world’s most underestimated drug, why not contact Kennith for a free introductory tutorial via Skype. Visit www.graceonline.co.za for more information and contact details. If you reside in South Africa, Kennith currently offers recovery process and programme groups on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in Pretoria and Benoni.