Internet pornography is a huge problem in the church. I have purposefully decided not to share any statistics in this article about how many men and women look at pornography online. It’s safe just to say it’s a gigantic number. I don’t want this article to focus on stats condemning people. Instead, I want this article to focus on getting the people of God to stop being corrupted by pornography.

Just to give you a little bit of background, no, I’m not sitting in a sterile ivory tower. I am not untouched by Internet pornography. I myself have spent many years battling this evil temptation. Internet pornography had me in its clutches every day for many years. After I became a believer, I continued struggling with this. However, through God’s strength, I have been free from any form of pornography for over 5 years now! Yes, freedom is possible one person at a time.

Let me give you a little bit of comfort. Internet pornography is not the problem. It’s a symptom of a greater struggle. The greater struggle is rooted in two areas. The first area is attraction and the second area is self-control. When someone looks at Internet pornography, they have already given in to a wrong view of attraction and have failed to be self-controlled.

Check this out about attraction! Proverbs 31 is the greatest chapter in the Bible explaining what makes a woman beautiful. However, there is only one verse in the whole chapter that talks about physical beauty. This is what the verse says, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

The only thing the greatest chapter about women in the Bible says concerning physical beauty is that it is fleeting. Beauty does not come from physical attractiveness. God tells us what makes a woman beautiful is her character. If she fears the Lord, she is to be praised. We are not supposed to elevate women who are charming or who are physically attractive; we are to elevate women who fear God. Wow, this is a radically different concept!

When was the last time you saw a group of construction workers whistle at a woman because they knew that her heart was devoted to God? Looking deeper than just shallow externals, acknowledging what really matters: her character. Once the people of God believe that true beauty is in a woman’s relationship with God, they will want to guard that woman’s beauty. A woman who fears God should be praised and protected. Men need to protect these women. When men look at Internet pornography, they are sending a messed up message to all godly women. They are telling them physical attractiveness is the true definition of beauty. This is the wrong message. Husbands are supposed to love their wives as Christ loves the church; when men view Internet pornography they love their wives as Satan loves the church. They are choosing to elevate a godless naked woman over their godly wives. Brothers and sisters, these things should not be.

So the first area the people of God need to completely change is regarding what makes a woman attractive. The second area is self-control. In Paul’s letter to Titus, Paul states many times that men and women, both young and old, need to be self-controlled. As believers, God has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

Through the power of God, believers are able to withstand the attacks of temptation. I recommend that anyone struggling with Internet pornography should memorize Proverbs 31:10 and 1 Corinthians 10:13. When being tempted, go over these two verses prayerfully in your mind until the temptation passes. This is God’s truth. It is always true. We need to re-teach ourselves what is true and right. I pray that believers would be set free from this sin that so corrupts our view of women and attacks the self-control of the people of God.