Home Invasion, Sacred Storm was a powerful reminder of the danger and bondage that can be caused through sexual sin, and it made me realize that I haven’t posted on the topic in a long time.
Just like any other guy I know, I am vulnerable to temptation in this area. And especially because of the amount of time I spend online, I have built up a series of roadblocks to help keep myself on course and keep my mind focused the right things. I thought I’d post some of those here in case others might find the list helpful.
Limiting Suggestive Media – Let’s face it, there’s a ton of junk out there that can get our minds going in the wrong direction. I’m careful about the books I read, the movies and shows I watch, the music I listen to, and even the apps I have on my iPhone, which leads me to the next point….
Blocked iPhone Applications – I’m one of the only people I know that’s never used Safari on my iPhone, so I know this makes me very strange. When I bought the phone, the first thing I did was hand it over to my wife and show her to lock the Safari and YouTube applications. For a long time, I wasn’t able to browse the internet at all on my iPhone, until I found a terrific free filtered browser for the iPhone….
Filtered Internet – Both my home PC and my iPhone have filtered internet. The cool part is that I’ve found good free software for both. For the PC, I use K9 Web Protection, and for the iPhone, I use Mobicip. If you haven’t tried these, you really need to check them out. (I also use the AdBlock Plus plugin for Firefox on my work and home computers to get rid of almost all internet ads.)
Accountability – All the other things are helpful, but alone they’re not enough. I need people who I can count on when I’m facing temptation, who know my weaknesses, who will graciously shine the light of truth into my life, and who will hear my confession to God, if I give into sin. I have about a dozen of these awesome people in my life (including my wife).
In this sin-saturated world, I really desire to walk in purity. I want to be totally committed to God and be careful about what I hear and see.
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” – Phil 2:13
Great post! I’ve dealt with a lot in a past, 99.97642% I’m not proud of. The things you described would have saved me a ton of pain and ‘flashbacks’ had I been willing to do those things in the past. I’m like you, my job requires me to be on the net 24/7, therefore I too have to limit the types of things I view and took a stint completely off of youtube and VERY rarely allow my browser to grace it’s website and only then if I have something very specific that I’m looking for (they have some great video’s about how to tie ties :)). Thanks for the reminder about staying pure in light of the awful stuff out there…
Jeff, thanks for the comment. It’s always encouraging to see the example of others who are taking significant steps to pursue holiness.
Thanks for the openness and great resources Kyle. I tried to send you and email concerning http://www.xxxchurch.com, but I think your filters were doing their job and blocked the email. So good filters, maybe that church should find another name. What my email said is that 3x church developed some good software, that is free. You download it, and pick two accountability partners. Then you can choose how often (weekly, bi-weekly, etc.) they are sent your internet history via email. It’s not a filter, but it just sits in the shadows. My wifee is one of my accountability partners and I chose you as the other. But I don’t think you are receiving my emails cause of their name. Regardless, I struggled with the same thing in the past and am glad my wifee can keep me accountable. Well thanks again.
BJL
Kyle, as usual you have blessed me with incredibly helpful information. While I don’t usually have issues as named, I have taken the high road and put into place the things you have suggested.
Thank you for being a great example.
L
Lydia, thanks for the comment. You’re an encouragement to me!
If you find yourself really wrapped up in sexual sin, there’s a book that I think you would find very helpful. It’s called At the Altar of Sexual Immorality. It’s very intense, but he deals with root causes and provides a solid biblical understanding. http://www.amazon.com/Altar-Sexual-Idolatry-Steve-Gallagher/dp/0970220200