dealing-porn-habitIt’s just a fact: men are more drawn to pornography than women, and most men view it. Show me a man, and it’s likely he’s looked at porn in the last month.

Here are the stats:

64% of men report that they view porn at least monthly. 47% of Christians say pornography is a major problem in their home. 40 millions U.S. adults regularly visit internet pornography websites.

But there’s a different definition of manhood, one that fights against porn and the addiction that is so prevalent.

Here are five ways to act like a man when dealing with your porn habit.

1. Own your habit. Men take responsibility for their mistakes.

Men often try to shove the blame for things they do on other people or circumstances. We’ll say, “Well, if only my wife had sex with me enough,” or, “It would be easier if the culture didn’t throw sex in my face.” Maybe those things are true sometimes, but they are not responsible your porn habit.

When confronted with the sin of sleeping with Bathsheba (not his wife) and ordering the murder of her husband on the battlefield, David owned up to his, saying, “I have sinned against the LORD.” David didn’t shy away from owning his sinful action. He proved that he was willing to be confronted about his misdeed and accept responsibility for his actions. This is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of manhood and honesty to own it.

[shortcode-variables slug=”mypilgrimage-inline”]2. Be watchful. Fight the laziness and idleness in your heart.

I’m a lazy guy. My fiancée and my friends can tell you. I’d rather just sit on the couch playing video games than work out or clean my house or do laundry. But if I just sit there and let my body waste away or let the messes pile up, nothing good will happen, there will be no positive change taken.

The same comes when dealing with porn. If we’re not watchful for it, to fight it, it will kick our butts every time. By being hands-on and fighting hard, we prove ourselves a man, even if we get beaten every so often.

3. Stand firm. Don’t waver in your purpose.

 You know how politicians seem to change their message when it suits them? It may not be a big change, but they adjust what they say based on their audience and current events. Eventually, something they say comes back to bite them in the tail and they have to talk their way out of a jam.

If we’re not rooted to our purpose of defeating pornography’s hold on us, we’ll fall. We must be guided by a stronger purpose, a deeper commitment, a firm foundation. If we don’t have that foundation in our life, we’ll fall like a house with no foundation, no cornerstone. So men, stand firm. Don’t waver in your purpose to beat your porn habit to death. Don’t give it an inch. Don’t make compromises with it.

4. Share your struggle. Bearing one another’s burdens is fulfilling the law of Christ.

 We often equate manhood with not sharing emotion, not being vulnerable with others. The stoic man rarely sheds tears. He rarely opens up to others about the struggles in his life. He takes it on the chin, deals with it on his own, then continues forward.

[ctt title=”There’s no shame in asking for help. It makes you more of a man.” tweet=”‘There’s no shame in asking for help. It makes you more of a man.’ – http://ctt.ec/g5eN0+ (by @zacharyhorner @X3church)” coverup=”g5eN0″]

No! Manhood doesn’t mean this! Share your struggles! There’s nothing un-manly about being honest with where you are. Actually, it’s quite manly to be honest, to share with others, to seek help. It shows that you’re comfortable being vulnerable, shows that you’re not afraid to show your weakness.

There’s no shame in asking for help. It makes you more of a man.

5. Don’t give up. “For the righteous falls seven times and rises again.”

 Men are not perfect. Men are not people who make themselves out to have everything under control. Men are not the ones who claim to have it all together. Those guys who pretend that are lying to you. It’s manly to admit weakness.

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In your quest to defeat pornography’s grip on your life, you will likely make mistakes. You will likely look when you don’t want to. It’s not an overnight victory. It takes time. But in those times when he’s defeated, a man doesn’t give up. He gets back up and gets going. The man says, “Yeah, I got my butt handed to me that time. But I’m not going to quit just because it’s hard.”

Men keep going. They don’t quit when they lose.

 Life isn’t like the playoffs, where you lose once and you go home. No, you get the opportunity to course-correct and find victory again.

So don’t quit trying. Be a man.[shortcode-variables slug=”my-pilgrimage-bottom”]