Sexuality is a good gift from God. But what happens when our God-given sex drives turn into sexual addiction?
The internet includes some one million pornographic web sites which many of us stumble upon unwittingly. Men are more drawn to return to these sites than women (or as a recent USA Today headline put it, “Cybersex follows Mars, Venus patterns”), and Christians are not immune. According to research, the typical Christian dabbler in cyber-porn is male, 30-55 years old, married with children, well-educated, economically comfortable, and employed in a professional occupation.
Pornography offers immediate gratification but has long-term negative effects that can destroy intimate relationships. Without intervention, sexual addiction escalates. According to a recent MSNBC survey, 60% of all web-site visits are sexual in nature. You become increasingly desensitized to the images and crave harder and harder pornography. You may be led to act on your fantasies. Pornography can become an “affair of the mind” which leaves little energy left for the marital relationship. Your mind is increasingly preoccupied with degrading images and real human intimacy suffers.
Breaking addiction to pornography requires honesty with God, with yourself, and with trusted Christian friends.
