My battle with pornography began in the third grade. It is a battle I still fight every day.
Every day? The rest of my life? It sounds exhausting, doesn’t it?
My Lord Jesus Christ gives me hope.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28
Sounds great, but how does that work?
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” – Mark 14:38
Notice that first word? Watch. It wasn’t just prayer. I am also to watch so that I will not fall into temptation.
Now every day in prayer, I watch for temptation. Since my desire is for Jesus’ REST, I use the word “R.E.S.T” as an acronym to help me watch.
R is for relationships. Is there anything in any of my relationships that is a problem? Wife, daughter, mother, boss, co-workers, friends, customers, etc. Any strife that disturbs my REST? The strife doesn’t have the slightest connection to pornography. However, I may turn to porn to feel better (temporarily!) instead of turning to God.
E is for emotions. Do I have any strong emotions disturbing my REST? Depression, anger, disappointment, disillusionment, anxiety, hurt, nervousness can motivate a turn to porn. I have also learned that strong positive feelings of accomplishment, excitement, and even happiness can lead me to porn as a “reward.”
S is for spiritually. How am I doing with God? Am I surrendering the battle to Him? Am I having my daily prayer time? Am I in the place of servant and He in the place of Lord? If not, I will fail in the battle against porn. He doesn’t fail.
T is for tired. Am I getting enough sleep? How am I doing physically? Hungry? Sick? Hurting? Nervous Jitters? Physical ailments disturb my REST and can take my focus off of God and allow me to turn to pornography.
Fighting pornography every day is a weary and burdensome task. Watch and pray to Jesus. He gives REST.
