 Hey guys and welcome to the Daily Disciple Channel. My name is Isaac and today we're going to be talking about pornography. Real talk guys, real talk. And if you're kind of wondering why is he talking about this issue? I thought this was a Christian channel. Why is he talking about this? Well, I think it's important that we as Christians begin to talk about this issue because it has become so pervasive. It is a problem and for me as being a young adult, I think it's extra important that we begin to speak into this issue as young adults because this is one of the key things that is really stifling young people in their relationship with Christ. So let's jump into it. We're going to do two videos series on this and maybe we'll do more down the line, but two videos here this week and I want to jump into pornography. What it does to us, what we say to ourselves is we're justifying it and how to overcome it. And that is our key through Christ. So he's going to give us that power to do it. So let's jump into this video and this tough topic. Now if you're between the ages of I'm going to say 13 and 25, the probability that you've encountered pornography, whether pornographic image or something to that nature is really, really high. It's scary high. And that's why I think it's important that we don't push this into the side is like a fringe issue because it's not. I know in a lot of conversations that I've had with young men in the Christian community, this is one of the main areas of struggle and I can speak to it in my own life. Yeah, this is an area of struggle in my own life and keeping a pure heart. Now if you have watched pornography, you probably feel bad afterwards. The idea that you're just kind of like going to go along your day as if everything's normal that you're conscious and pricked at all. It's pretty unlikely. So I'm not here to beat you and tell you, Oh man, you should feel really bad about this because you probably already do. But what I want to do is tell you the importance of true biblical repentance, right? Let's talk about repentance today and in next episode, we're going to talk a little bit more about the practical steps that you can take in overcoming pornography. So real true biblical repentance. What is repentance? Well, repentance is actually seeing you're wrong, right? Seeing you're doing something wrong, apologizing to God and turning away from that thing. That's at the heart of this overcoming pornography, because often when we do partake in pornography, it's this, you do feel guilty and it's more of this inward like, Oh, I can't believe I did that. I feel so dirty. I'm such a bad person. Oh man, that is, I don't want to do that. But it's really oftentimes it's a more self centered like self word, like how I wish I was a better person as opposed to showing God and apologetic to God of repentance towards God and saying, God, I'm so sorry because I know this grieves you. I know this is against what you've created me for. So I want to bring that to our attention that our repentance should not just be, Oh, I feel bad because I feel dirty and that's not nice and pornography, you know, all the results of it. Oh, it's not good. But it should really be, that's an aspect of it, but should really be a God centered repentance and saying, God, I'm so sorry that I've taken this. I want you to change me. Take this from me. Help me battle against this. And that's where we start. It's understanding. Look, we can't do this on our own. We need God in this. And if you've tried to battle against us with just your willpower, you found out, I can't do it. I can't I can't be strong enough to always be able to beat this thing. So that's why we need God in this and he's going to help us overcome this stuff. Okay, I want to read a verse here from 2 Timothy 222. So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. It's clear in the Bible that we're supposed to be fleeing these youthful passions. God knows we have these sinful passions within us, right? He knows we have this desire to look at people of the opposite sex with lust, right? But that desire in and of itself to how that kind of sexual desire is not wrong in and of itself. We were created with that, but it was distorted, right? It got distorted and we turn it to things that are cheap substitutes for. So God designed us to be dwelling in within a relationship. Those who aren't single, he designed those to be in a relationship, a marriage relationship. But we distorted those things. We said, no God, we can't wait for that. We can't wait for that. We got to go ahead and pursue these youthful passions. But the Bible says pursue righteousness. And that's something as I'm thinking about this. Hey, are we pursuing righteousness as young people? And how do we do that? When you're tempted with pornography or tempted to look lustfully, where do you turn? You turn inward and say, Oh, I need to just know, I got to figure out something else or you turn to God and say, Hey, God, I need your help. I'm struggling with this. Can you help me? Because I can't do this alone. I can't battle like this alone. I need your help. And you know what God will do? I believe that God is active in our lives. I don't believe that God is just off in the distance doing something else, forgetting about us. I believe that he has power. His Holy Spirit is power in our lives. And that's where we begin this path, this process of overcoming pornography. We need to understand. Yeah, it is pervasive. We understand true repentance and say, God, I'm sorry, I want to turn from this. And then it's asking God, God, can you help me in this? Can you help me? Because that's where real change starts. It's at the heart. In the next video, I'm going to give you a lot of practical tips and how to overcome pornography. But at the end of the day, if your heart isn't changed, if you still long for that, those graphic images, if you still long to have that cheap substitute, then you're still going to find it. You're still going to go there. No accountability that we'll talk about next time. No any kind of resources or safeguards. You'll blow right through it because if your heart isn't changed, if you're not willing to step into the battle, if you're trying to fight it on your own, you're going to fail and you're going to find it. And that's not what I want for you. That's a bondage, right? That's not freedom when we're addicted to something. Those people that are addicted to drugs or whatever it may be, you don't see those people as free people just able to partake when they please. No, those people are in bondage and I don't want that for you. I don't want that for you. And as I think about this for myself, I'm still seeking that freedom. Every day it's a battle to find that freedom, right? Freedom from these things. Today I encourage you. Ask God, be honest with him. Be honest with him. He wants to hear from you. Tell him, God, I've been struggling with these things. I need your help. I need your help. God won't turn you away. You're not too far gone for God to hear and to help. He wants to hear from you. He's been waiting for you.