Ultimate 1-Minute Guide to QUITTING PORN
From Triggers to Triumph: The Concise Battle Plan You've Been Waiting For
Note: This is not medical or professional advice and is not to be deemed as such. For such advice, seek a qualified professional.
“This is the will of God.. sanctification..that each one of you know how to control his own body.” 1 Th 4:3-4
Global conversations. Years of writing on the topic. Offensive and defensive strategies.
1. SALT- stressed, angry, lonely, or tired? Know your triggers.
Don’t rush into self-pleasure on auto-pilot. Spot a trigger? Pause. Pray immediately. Fill your mind with Scripture. Truth over lies.
2. Praise and gratitude
Under temptation, shift to praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. An ungrateful, bitter soul clings to empty pleasures far more easily. At God’s right hand are pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11). Grow in virtue by remembering that in Jesus you have been cleansed from your former sins (2 Pet. 1:9). Thank God for gifts. Christ is risen. Adopt resurrection thinking.
3. Bring darkness into light
Confess it to God. Openly. Confess to another (Js. 5:16). The Spirit’s power overcomes the power of temptation. As Jesus hyperbolically warned, you’re better off losing a limb (lust comes from heart Mark 7:21) to stop lusting after women than destroying your whole body in hell (Matt. 5:29). Flirt with fire or flee lust. Flesh destroys. God's grace sustains.
4. Embrace weakness through prayer and fasting: In yourself, nothing; in God, everything. Remember you will die!
Cemeteries exist for mortals like us! Let that sober you. Struggling with addiction? Pray your pain. Don’t hide behind your ego. Not getting help from God? Persist in prayer (Matt. 7:7-11). Fast (Matt. 6:17-18). Recognise you are completely and utterly dependent on God. Does this make you weak? In yourself, yes. However, in God, through fellowship with Christ, you are a partaker in the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:3-4). You have all the strength you need.
5. Wounds: What is the band-aid covering?
Dig deep. What pain are you numbing? Bring it to light. Express it fully in prayer. Escapism leads to slavish attachments. Christ’s cross heals.
6. Embrace discomfort
Slowly push comfort zones. Persist. Concentrate. Focus. Be careful of your escapes to comfort- phones, social media, Netflix, junk, alcohol, porn, mental fantasy loops.
7. Purpose over pleasure
God’s glory first. Cultivate gifts, not cravings. Mission and legacy over midnight escapes. Lasting fulfillment, not fleeting satisfaction. Unique calling over herd addictions.
8. Love over lust
Lust counterfeits love- sees people as a means to an end. Self-interest over respect. Consumption over dignity. Emotional void filling over principled living. Ask God to fill you with His true love and joy through His Spirit (Rom. 5:5, 15:13). To make God’s love a lens through which you view others. Empty pleasures don’t match a daily experience of God’s love and joy.
9. Serve and pray for others
As Kierkegaard said, the door to happiness opens outward. Serve others. Pray for the souls of those you’ve been tempted to lust after then let go.
10. Urges as fuel - re-channel energy
Urges are a sign energy is rising. Fuel. Acknowledge it. Re-channel it. Guide your attention elsewhere. Don’t fall for a guilt trap over facing temptation.
11. Understand neuroplasticity basics
An addict’s brain is hijacked and knocked out of shape. The hijacker will kick, scream, and bite for control again. Embrace the healing process. An animal under attack gets a lot more fierce when it knows it is dying. Withdrawals? Headaches? Screaming urges? Don’t give in. The fight is a sign God’s not done with you and you’re growing. Let your brain rewire with time and replace bad habits with good ones. Re-mould your brain.
12. Physical discipline
Push and reset your body. Exercise. Cold exposure. Heat exposure. Have offensive systems in place (eg. regular exercise, fasting) and defensive systems for intense urges (eg. emergency cold exposure, push ups). Monitor diet and sleep.
