**Disclaimer** Not for guys who are okay with the status quo. I used to avoid readings that would try to change my views on porn. I didn’t want to believe that my actions fueled an entire perverse industry. Out of sight, out of mind…right? Don’t stop reading this right here, men. Take 5 minutes out of your day. Be bold. Be open. I’m challenging you to educate yourself on how your porn consumption is fueling the sex trafficking industry across the globe.
Watching porn: IT. HAS. TO. STOP.
Not tomorrow. Not after you watch it again tonight. Not “I’ll try cut back on it”. Stop it completely. Now.
Men, I’m not apologizing for the challenge that God has put on my heart. I’m writing this because I know I have been freed from the desires of porn. I'm also writing this because I know many of my friends and guys in general struggle with porn. The attitude of men towards women has to change. I’m opening up to you to share my personal experience about a mindset that Papa has delivered me from and to open your eyes to a few unsettling truths that I didn’t realize before a few weeks ago.
When I went to training camp on October 14th, I had a 12 year relationship with porn. I discovered it when I was 14…just as computers and the internet started to boom. Over the course of a few years it became a regular part of my life…even when I had a girlfriend. I would justify watching porn with reasons I heard all over our society,
“I just watch it to masturbate, nobody gets hurt.”
“Men are visual creatures, I need visual stimulation.”
“I wouldn’t have to watch it if my girl would give me more sex.”
These are just some of the twisted excuses that our culture has trained our men to use to justify watching porn. We see it on movies, TV, and all over the internet. Porn and the degradation of women has become okay in our culture in so many ways.
What our culture does an incredibly poor job of doing is bringing light to the direct connection between watching porn and global sex trafficking.
Pornography is a promotional campaign for commercial sexual exploitation. Not all pornography is created by traffickers (although a good chunk of it is). But, the driving force of commercial sex is the belief that women are sexual commodities…and internet pornography is the ideal vehicle to teach and train this belief.
Porn creates demand for sex trafficking. It creates the appetite. “Porn drives people to the place where they become comfortable with commercial sex. Of course, not all porn consumers endorse human trafficking, but by their actions, they do tacitly endorse the objectification of women and the commodifying of sex.” – Noel Bouche, Vice President of pureHOPE.
Imagine if your mother, or daughter, or sister, or niece was kidnapped and forced into sex slavery. Forced into a life of drugs, rape, zero self worth…completely losing her innocence and soul. Be thankful that they aren’t. But what would you do? How hard would you fight to get her back? Would you be willing to do whatever it took to stop it from happening?
There are an estimated 27 million adults and 13 million children/teens enslaved in sex trafficking right now across the globe. That’s 40 million mothers, daughters, sisters, and nieces. 40 million!!
So how does this change? It starts in our hearts and desires as men. “If all sex trafficking victims were rescued today, there will still be a demand for millions and millions of new slaves tomorrow. At the root of sexual exploitation is a demand that is driven by men. If we want to change this issue systemically and stamp it out at the root then the desires of men, at the deepest level, have to be changed. There is something that can change men. What men need is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The reality that Jesus died for our sins so that we can be alive with God. It’s Jesus who has and will continue to change the hearts of men. It’s Jesus who changes abusers into protectors, addicts into free men, and traffickers into rescuers.” – Jacob’s Story (video link below)
I tried to stop watching porn multiple times over the last few years. Every attempt was unsuccessful though. From 13 years old until two months ago, the longest I had gone without watching porn was probably a week. Right now, I can sit here and say that I haven’t watched it in over two months and I have absolutely zero desire to start again.
How? What was different this time? Jesus. He gave me a new heart with new desires. I’m starting to accept and embrace my role as a man of God. I’m filling my old wounds with truths of the Lord. I’m letting Papa heal me.
Next time you are tempted to look up porn, go to the strip club, etc…I want you to think of the industry you are supporting. Are you going to continue turning a blind eye to the 27 million women and 13 million children that are forced into a sex slave lifestyle? Seriously…are you okay with contributing to that?
Sex slavery doesn't have to be a thriving industry. It starts with us, men. Are you ready to accept the responsibility?
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If you have read this far then I hope you now realize that “watching a little porn” isn’t as harmless as most people believe. I also pray that you are at least a little curious to learn more about human trafficking. If you are, check out the video and sites below. Be blessed!
Here’s an incredible short documentary called “Jacob’s Story”. I highly encourage you to take 10 minutes to watch this powerful video ( http://vimeo.com/31795904 )
Powerful poem about changing attitudes towards sex http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlJFvxad1_A&feature=share
A couple of links with some alarming statistics about human trafficking.
http://justiceforyouth.org/7/
http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/overview?gclid=CP_R1LOlka0CFcJgTAodcT86LQ
