R ichard was looking at a YouTube video one day with a friend, and the friend told him about a porn site. They looked at it together and searched several other sites. His friend went home, and Richard continued to look at the sites. Before long, Richard knew he was hooked. Now 15 years old, Richard said, “The moment I first saw the porn, I wanted more. I continued to look up more, and more. It was a constant need. I was never happy no matter how much I saw. I’m trying to find a way to stop. It’s so depressing. I wish I had never seen it.” Not every teen that looks at pornography gets hooked like Richard. We can say with certainty: All teens involved with pornography have less understanding about honoring God, relationships, and sexuality. The many other harmful effects of pornography on teens are well-documented. A partial list includes: If you are viewing pornography, you may have already experienced some of these harmful effects. It is inevitable that the negative effects will increase the longer you look at pornography. Remember one very important truth: Pornography is a powerful enticement to a lifestyle of lies and deceit. [tweetthis]Remember one very important truth: Pornography is a powerful enticement to a lifestyle of lies and deceit.[/tweetthis] If you have some pornography, you probably hide it. If you are looking at pornography on the family computer, you likely try to cover your tracks. If you enjoy pornography, you’ve possibly convinced yourself that you deserve some pleasure. You may have even told yourself that it’s innocent and no one is getting hurt. Nobody thought that the Titanic would sink either. A virtually undetected and underestimated “enemy,” the portion of the iceberg underwater, sunk the ship. The great lie today is that you can use pornography and not pay some profound consequences. When you view pornography over a period, you begin to believe some of the following lies: The last lie is one that therapists hear the most from teens and young adults. That belief is largely based on our living in an addicted society. Many teen and young adult males confess to their therapist about looking at pornography, “That’s what I thought it meant to be a guy!” There is nothing normal about exposing ourselves to degrading, distorted, or illegal information about sexuality. It is healthy and mature not to look at pornography. Are you getting caught up in the prevailing lies of our culture? It is a battle not to be seduced by the frequently repeated deceptions of pornography. You are in danger, if you are saying things like this: Psalm 15 is a great chapter in the Bible. It portrays the person who really knows God and lives a life of security and blessing. A key verse describes this person as “He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart” (Psalm 15:2). The author, King David, goes to the heart of the matter. He describes the godly lifestyle as a pattern of integrity, a journey where all the parts fit. The person who is blessed consistently does the right thing, at the right time, for the right reason. The core issue of integrity is “speaks the truth in his heart.” Do you want to live as a person who really knows God? Do you want a secure, peaceful, and fulfilling life? You must realize that self-honesty disintegrates quickly when you are trapped in pornography. You pay a high price for your lies and deception. You become spiritually fake, persistently anxious, and distant from loved ones and friends. The words of Nathaniel Hawthorne are piercing, “No man [teen], for any considerable period of time, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the truth.” If you think that you have a problem with pornography, you can get confidential help by calling 719-644-5557.The lies of pornography
What biblical integrity looks like
Are You a Teen Hooked on Pornography?
Can you really become addicted to pornography? Is it risky behavior? Let’s consider the story of a teenage boy that we’ll call Richard, who was 10 years old when he first saw a pornographic image.