BYM ONLINE DESK November 2016 | Page 6

to such things in a very tender age leading to psychological imbalances. They may not be mentally healthy. entering into the habitual phase. In this stage, you watch because you think that you can derive some sort of satisfaction or happiness by watching. 5) It also reduces the functional fruitfulness of brain. The brain refuses to enjoy the normal aspects of life like nature and beauty. c) Addictive Phase:The habitual phase will lead to a more intensive addictive phase. In this phase you watch because you have to watch. You do not even know why you watch that. You do not feel anything. One easy way to find whether you are addicted or not is that you start to watch it without any interest. It is like, you watch in spite of the fact that you don't like watching it. You go deliberately and watch it though you hate it. This is what Apostle Paul tells in Romans 7:15- “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” And again in Romans 7:17-18 “ So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”Paul here talks about the stage before the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit. The main problem is the sin that resides in us. The sin which we committed out of curiosity has now become the master and we are now its slaves. This is what I call as the addictive stage. 6)It affects our health in the long run and will totally ruin us. Why is it so difficult to break? Viewing porn is a kind of addiction similar to drug-addiction like heroine and the like. When you have decided to fight this evil, you need to understand that you are not dealing with an ordinary evil. Also our dependence on the Internet is ever increasing and so a total abstinence is becoming increasingly impractical. But it is God who delivers and strengthens us. Sometimes the deliverance can be phenomenal (like instant or miraculous) and at other times, it is gradual. I strongly believe that it is both phenomenal and gradual. We need both the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and also the strengthening work of the Holy Spirit. Falling or Addiction I want to make a difference between falling and addiction. I believe both are different but one can lead to the other. There are three phases from which it can move from 'falling' to ' addiction.’ a) Exposure Phase:It is something like, one day you accidentally stumble upon a filthy site and out of curiosity you did watch that. This exposure cannot amount to addiction. In this stage, you watch out of curiosity. b) Habitual Phase: But when you start to view a second time, and a third time, you are slowly The Way Out Whether you are in the exposure phase, or habitual phase, or addictive phase, it doesn't matter to God. But your cooperation is needed for God the Holy Spirit so that He can have His way in your life. More cooperation from your part might be needed if you are deep in this sin. |PAGE 6|