You’ve probably heard of the proverb: “He who laughs last, laughs best.” This proverb motivates us to have patience and see things through as initial losses can lead to eventual victory.
Pornography is a significant challenge that we have yet to fully confront. Before facing the giant in David’s story, he had a strong relationship with God, relying on His powerful hand to help him conquer. His neighbors also saw him as a mighty warrior, despite his brothers’ contempt for him and their preference for him to be with the sheep.
The angel’s first command to Lot was to Escape, and we are applying this command to ourselves.
Escape
Here are a few examples:
- The unforgettable escape of Joseph, who was constantly pursued by his master’s wife, has been remembered for more than a millennium.
When comparing this to David, who faced temptation but didn’t escape, even though he wrote most of the psalms that show how deep his relationship with God was, he didn’t escape—and we all know the result.
- The Great Escape of the Israelites from Egypt
In Egypt, God repeatedly asked Pharaoh to release the Jews so they could worship Him, but Pharaoh kept refusing. The Jews could not establish a relationship with God if they stayed in Egypt, where slavery and idols existed. They needed to escape, and God aided them with great power until they were safely out, defeating Pharaoh and his soldiers. Instead of making the Jews wander through the desert, God could have made it simpler for them to pray in Egypt. Despite this, He desired freedom for His people from Pharaoh to cultivate their relationship. If He had made things easier for them, they could have ended up as slaves for a long time. If they had become comfortable, they might have forsaken Him and worshipped the idols of Egypt. Having compassion for them didn’t mean making their life easier. Rather, He completely transformed their lives, guiding them on a remarkable journey out of Egypt to establish a desired connection with them.
- Lot escaped the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He demonstrated the steps to overcome addiction that we are discussing now.
- Jesus Himself and the holy family escaped to Egypt. The angel told Joseph:
“Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him” (Matthew 2:13).
Joseph might have remembered the angel’s prior message, stating that he should call the child Jesus, as He would save His people from their sins. He may have contemplated the paradox of a savior in need of salvation, questioning the angel’s intention to urge his escape. If He is indeed the Savior, shouldn’t He possess the ability to stop the heroic assault or eliminate the threat? However, Joseph allowed the escape because, in Jesus’ infancy, the timing was not yet right for Him to perform such miracles.
Jesus is teaching us that although there will be a time to celebrate our victories, we must acknowledge the current weight of the battle and flee from the attacks while we are still spiritually vulnerable.
We have become slaves to the pornography habit, training our bodies and minds to be attracted to it like metal to a magnet. If you’re within the magnetic field, you’ll feel its weight and force; escaping is the only way to not feel it.
And what about fighting?
We’ll go into more detail about this later, but for now, let’s just say that if you’re in a battle and the enemy throws many arrows that wound you, it is logical to escape and rebuild your strength before engaging in the fight. Failing to do so will give the enemy an opportunity to exploit your weaknesses and defeat you.
“Run away from sin like you would a snake: If you go near it, it will bite you. Its teeth are lion’s teeth, destroying a person’s life” (Sirach 21:2 NRSV-CE).
Also, St. Paul, the great apostle, sent a message to Timothy, the young priest and leader, telling him not to let anyone belittle him because of his age. St. Paul reminds him twice how to conduct himself when faced with temptations like ours:
“But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:11 ESV).
“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22 ESV).
Paul advises Timothy to escape from evil in both messages as it is safer this way and there is no ego in spiritual life. He didn’t encourage him to face his fear or temptation; instead, he advised him to escape.
Then Paul urged us again to flee from any sexual temptation, recognizing the danger it poses when the body becomes engaged in the battle.
“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18 ESV).
Escape is a strategy that can help you in this battle. Remember powerful men of faith like David, Solomon, and Samson. They all fell because they didn’t escape. No matter how strong your relationship with God is, escaping from evil may seem like a weak approach. But believe me; it shows your healthy will and sends a message to God that you want to be different. It shows that your power is failing you, and there is no stronger call to God than that. He will intervene quickly and lift you up. Escaping will bless you as God blessed Joseph after his escape from evil, making him second to Pharaoh in Egypt.
David, the slayer of Goliath, was praised in a song which proclaimed, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” Yet you listen to him whispering:
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in You my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of Your wings, I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.
So, Why Escape?
This sin has killed many, and they were all strong.
“For she has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men” (Proverbs 7:26 ).
I will give you a clear illustration of the incredible strength of this temptation from the Bible:
- Sexual temptation led to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, with fire and sulfur descending upon them (Read Genesis19).
- In one day, twenty-three thousand died in the wilderness due to sexual temptation after escaping from Egypt.
“Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell” (1 Corinthians 10:8).
- Because of sexual temptation, Israel almost lost an entire tribe in a single day (Read Gibeah’s Crime in Judges 19:22).
The result in Judges 20:47 was that 25,000 men of the tribe of Benjamin, all men of valor, were killed. But 600 men turned and fled toward the wilderness and remained hidden for four months. The tribe of Benjamin was nearly wiped out, leaving only 600 men alive. This caused another problem for the leaders of Israel, who had already sworn, “Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin” (Judges 21:18). Now, they had to figure out a way to ensure the survival of the Benjamin tribe without letting them marry from the women of the other tribes.
- Because of sexual temptation, a brother deceived his sister and sexually assaulted her.
Read the story of Tamar, Absalom’s sister, and Amnon in 2 Samuel 13. They were both David’s children, which led to Absalom killing Amnon and causing unrest between father and son. Absalom didn’t see his father, King David, and fled for three years. He returned to Jerusalem for two years without seeing David. So, for five years, he didn’t see his father, during which time his anger festered, and he turned into an enemy.
He asked Joab, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still. Now therefore, let me go into the presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death” (2 Samuel 14:32 ESV).
- Solomon’s wisdom couldn’t save him from falling, as his women led him to build other temples due to their intoxicating lust, causing him to lose his devotion to God.
“For when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the LORD, his God, as was the heart of David, his father” (1 Kings 11:4 ESV).
- Samson’s strength, which everyone knew about, was lost when he fell asleep in Delilah’s arms.
Despite their strength, all these people eventually fell.
I’m writing this as a reminder of the strength of temptation and its ongoing struggle against mankind. However, but you and me are the most important now. Right now, we are alive and have the freedom to decide what comes next. Knowing the overwhelming power this temptation holds, do you choose to resist it, holding onto the belief that you can win? Or will you escape for your life as the angels have commanded?
God, You are a powerful warrior. Yet, You escaped from evil and fled to Egypt. You taught us how to survive evil, sometimes through escape. Please help us escape the temptation of pornography and the shadows that haunt us day and night. Our minds are filled with countless explicit images, and our bodies burn with desires all day long. We long to give in, but please God, help us escape. Even David, Samson, and Solomon fell into temptation, and they had a history of loving You and fighting Your wars. Who am I to confront this? My only history is with pornography. God, please have mercy on me and help me escape from this addiction. I am the weakest of all, so show Your great work to me. Help me with Your mighty hand. Please, God, help me win this battle.
Keep praying.
WinThisBattle!
