Quit Porn, Live FreeSample

Step 6: Submit to God and resist temptation

We live in a highly sexualized culture. You might have heard the saying, “sex sells…” This is often why there are so many sexualized images around us, whether it’s on social media, TV, online adverts, films, etc. But we CAN resist temptation. You don’t have to be passive when it comes to temptation in your life, you have a choice.

In James 4:7 it says, ‘Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’ We believe that this is a clear pathway to guard yourself from temptation. Firstly, we submit to God. To submit is to follow the example of Jesus and say, ‘Lord, not my will but your will be done.’ Submitting to God is acknowledging that He knows best and that His will can be trusted over our will and desires. Through submitting, we start the journey of resisting and to resist is to say, ‘NO, I will not do that. I am going to push back and not back down.’

Putting a blocker on your phones, laptops, etc. can be a great way to resist temptation. There are great accountability apps out there like ‘Covenant Eyes’. Using these can be a very intentional action towards helping yourself and others who might struggle with pornography or viewing sexual content.

If we are going to successfully resist temptation, we need to have a plan because we are no match for sin and its power. You can’t fight this alone. But Jesus did, and he won when he defeated the power of sin and death through His death on the cross and His resurrection.

In moments of temptation, we must HALT and ask ourselves, ‘Am I hungry, angry, lonely, tired, or bored?’ The battle against sin in our lives is real. Pure willpower and personal resolve are good, but they may eventually wear off and you'll give in.

Often, this is a sign that we haven’t let our minds be fully transformed (like we spoke about on day 2) and what we believe has not yet become a lifestyle and part of how we now live consistently. We can never underestimate the power of submitting to God and asking the Holy Spirit to help give us the strength to resist temptation. This is another way we fight this battle. You can do this and remember you are not alone in this fight.

If you have blockers on your devices, make sure you’re not the password holder and an accountability partner or trusted adult has it.

Question: When do you think you are most tempted to sin sexually? What could you do to resist temptation?