Throughout this journey of hope, we have witnessed the profound impact of pornography. It has the power to entrap us like an insidious disease, inflicting prolonged periods of sickness upon its victims – sometimes lasting 12, 18, or even 38 years. Yet, before these individuals became ill and faced their struggles, they had experienced moments of genuine health and vitality. They had tasted the joys of a wholesome life until their sickness seized control.
In our next story, we explore the life of someone who has been blind since birth and has never known the joy of positive visual memories.
Darkness.
He lacks knowledge of basic elements of the world, such as colors, light and the sun and moon, trees and vegetation. His inability to see anything hampers his imagination. Darkness is the only reality he knows.
Many of us can relate to this, having grown up in environments away from Jesus, without a church or Bible to guide us. Sin is acceptable, and pornography is normal. We have never experienced life with Jesus, as we come from diverse backgrounds and families that were distant from Him. Darkness is our only familiarity.
Perhaps our fathers were pornography addict, maybe he lived an unfaithful life which led to divorces. It’s possible that the spouses despised their husbands and had affairs. All these circumstances pushed us towards seeking solace in pornography. It is possible that our fathers were abusive, or we had a relative who displayed lustful behavior and attempted to sexually or mentally exploit us. We may have been raised to believe that such things were normal, and right from the start, we were blinded to the truth that these actions are sinful.
We long for peace but cannot attain it, much like a blind man in search of light but unable to grasp it.
There is no peace, says my God, ‘for the wicked (Isaiah 57:21).
And if being born blind isn’t enough, the surrounding people also added more weight to an already heavy burden. Accuse him and his family of being sinners. They tease him, claiming that his blindness is a punishment for his own sins or those of his family. They suggest God has forgotten about him and that he is unacceptable in the eyes of God. Even Jesus’ disciples did this when they questioned Jesus.
And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2).
But Jesus said no, not like that. This man resembles the condition of humanity when it is born away from me, living in darkness all its life. He said,
“As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5).
So no matter how long your porn addiction has lasted or if you were born into a family that lived without knowing Jesus, perhaps never even hearing his name or considering him a joke, today Jesus wants you to see the real battle and discover where the true light is.
My dear fighter, Jesus knows your situation and understands that what you are going through now may not be directly your fault. You have been forced into this life of darkness and have been blindfolded for a long time. You don’t know how to escape, and maybe it’s not your fault for starting this way. However, you can still break free. It’s like Jesus saying I am here to bring light into your life. I don’t blame you for anything, except for not being willing to accept my help.
This miracle shook everyone. Jesus opened many blind eyes, but as attested by this blind man himself.
Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. (John 9:32).
Jesus performed a miraculous act by creating an eye for that man. This act of creation signifies one profound truth – that Jesus is God Himself. Interestingly, Jesus didn’t even ask the man if he desired to be healed; He simply started the healing process. He took clay, formed it, and applied it to the man’s eye. It’s truly astonishing how willingly this man surrendered himself to Jesus. He could have resisted, hesitating to allow someone to put clay in his eye. However, he had nothing to lose, as he was already engulfed in darkness.
Jesus understood that in order for the man to regain his sight, he needed a new eye. So, Jesus miraculously created one for him. However, our lives have been dominated by the influence of pornography, leaving us ignorant about Jesus and how to live a healthy life. Our families have been corrupted, sin surrounds us, and our households are divided. Spouses are pursuing other partners, and our siblings are consumed by their own lust. Sadly, we experience mental and sometimes even sexual abuse from family members and relatives. Our entire existence has been tainted by this corruption. Jesus recognizes we are not to blame for growing up in such an environment, and He defends us in front of His disciples, assuring us it is not our fault. He also understands that the solution is not merely to change or heal our current situation, but rather to create something entirely new.
I want to bring to your attention two important facts:
(1) you are not alone.
All have turned aside; together, they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. (Romans 3:12).
The pain you’re experiencing is something that many people go through, if not more. as it said in the bible.
knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. (1 Peter 5:9).
(2) Change comes by creating something new.
Our current self is too corrupt and sick. This time, the change must come by creating a new perspective, so that people can see things the way they are meant to be seen again.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2).
that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24).
The transformation that David was seeking didn’t come until Nathan confronted him about his wrongdoing. It was then that he realized how blind he had been, unable to see how far he had drifted from God. However, he quickly understood that he couldn’t fix this on his own; he needed God to create a new heart within him.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10-12).
To create this new heart, you are needed to participate in two ways.
First, you must yield to His hand and not resist.
Once you genuinely seek Him, you might experience unpleasant occurrences in your life, just as the clay felt unpleasant to the man who was born blind.
Before, you had spare time, but now things are harder and you have no time. You used to have a nice job, but your boss moved you to another department, away from someone you were about to have an affair with. You had a relationship with someone who decided to end it and pursue different relationships or a different career. You are experiencing financial setbacks that are forcing you to move away from the city and the temptations it holds. Despite these unpleasant circumstances, they will ultimately benefit you in the long run.
Then the second way to participate is to go and wash.
God has done something in your life. Your affair was discovered, and you almost got a divorce. However, your wife gave you a second chance. Your boss wanted to fire you for harassment, but gave you another chance. Maybe your picture was taken while looking at porn, and you fear it going viral among your friends. However, the person who took the picture deletes it and gives you another chance. Something is about to happen. If you look closely, you realize that this is God’s way of making you better. And what you experience is like the clay that restored sight to the blind man. Your job is to clean your heart and change your ways.
Unlike our previous story, this man actually defended Jesus in front of everyone. Just as we mentioned before, Jesus’ healing comes with a power. In this particular case, it empowered the man who was born blind to testify in front of all the Jewish leaders and to respond wisely to all their questions. When they couldn’t deny the miracle or the wisdom with which he spoke, they cast him out of the synagogue. This frightened his parents because they loved the world more than they loved God.
My dear, Jesus will open your eyes and give you the power. Our brave blind man didn’t care if he was cast out of the synagogue; he only cared about one thing.
He answered, “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” (John 9:25)
My dear, you may be one of those individuals who not only view pornography online but actively engage in its creation. The world has clouded your vision, preventing you from seeing the true source of light. While you may believe you are living in the light and achieving great success, what you perceive as light is actually darkness. If what you consider as light is truly darkness, then the darkness within you must be immense.
But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! (Matthew 6:23).
Jesus is always willing to create new eyes for you if you let him. All you have to do is stand in his presence, and he will give you a new heart and new perspective. It doesn’t matter what situation you’re in or how far you’ve been from him in your life.
Win this battle.
