No, God doesn’t expect you to solve this on your own. If you could solve it yourself you probably wouldn’t be writing me—but you can’t, and you need God’s help. And He wants to help you, because He loves you and doesn’t want you to be trapped by this destructive habit.

And don’t deceive yourself; it is destructive. It will destroy your self-esteem, and it also will fill your mind with images that crowd out everything that is pure and good. More than that, eventually this addiction will destroy your relationships, because it will flood your family with mistrust and anger and disgust once they discover it—as they inevitably will. The Bible’s words are true: “You may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). Most of all, it destroys your relationship with God, because it is a sin in His eyes.

What should you do? Begin by committing this problem—and your whole life—to Jesus Christ. Ask Him to come into your life to forgive you and cleanse you and give you a new goal in life—to honor God in all you do. Then ask Him to connect you to a church where Christ is preached and you can have fellowship with other believers.

Then take practical and decisive steps to overcome this habit. Install anti-porn filters on your computer; move it to where others can see it; have a friend you trust hold you accountable for your web surfing.

Struggling with pornography? Find real freedom in Jesus Christ.