To win this battle, you must be ready to fight two enemies—one from the outside and one from within.
Enemy from Outside
The enemy from outside is Satan. The Bible speaks of him, saying:
“He was a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
The Devil is highly intelligent, relentless, and incredibly experienced in battle. He has been fighting people for ages, encountering countless personalities and understanding their weaknesses. He knows how to manipulate and tempt humans. From the very beginning, he has been a murderer. It may feel unjust that your enemy possesses more knowledge about you than you do about him. However, Jesus comes along and says:
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).“ Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19).
We’ll go into more detail about this when we discuss the fight technique, but for now, let’s focus on who this enemy is.
He consistently attempts to separate you from God because he knows the closer you are to Him, the less opportunity he has to pull you into his domain. He never gets tired. He can fight all day, just like David cried out:
“My enemies would hound me all day, for there are many who fight against me, O Most High” (Psalm 56:2).
When you draw near to God through prayer and reading the Bible, you place yourself under His protection.
“For in the time of trouble, He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5).
As long as you remain close to God and hold on to Him, He will swiftly defend you, even if you’ve been separated for a short time.
“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name” (Psalm 91:14).
The Devil hates when you receive blessings from God because it reminds him of his fall from heaven, and these blessings grant you power over him. If you ever slip back into his domain, he will aggressively try to detach you from God, causing you to lose all the blessings you recently gained. He will then immerse you in a cycle of guilt and depression, leading you to unimaginable depths of sin. He will crush you, leaving you unable to stand again, fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy of a more miserable ending.
“Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Luke 11:26).
We have an enemy who desires our souls and exploits our weaknesses. One of his most effective tactics is deceiving Christians into believing they can conquer this battle through their own strength, causing them to overlook the harsh reality that sin has already claimed many lives, even those who were once strong. To be successful in this fight, it is crucial to know his tricks. As the Bible declares:
“ lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
In the upcoming posts, we will cover some of Satan’s tricks, helping you become familiar with his strategies.
The Enemy from Within
The second enemy we face in this battle is internal—embodied by our addictions, habits, and vulnerabilities. Our upbringing, relationships with family and friends, and our perception of the church all contribute to it. Our insecurities about our ability to overcome these habits only amplify their strength.
The most significant danger comes from within us—the urges we long for. Galatians 5:17 captures this truth in the Bible.
“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:17).
The time spent addicted to pornography weighs heavily on our lives, influencing our decisions and preventing us from pursuing what we truly desire. Our minds become conditioned to accept porn as the new normal, hindering our desire for a life with Jesus, just as St Paul mentioned.
For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who does it, but sin that dwells within me. (Romans 7:15-20 ESV)
This is the struggle we all face in our fight against pornography. Please understand this: You are not defined by the wrongs you do. God created you in His image. Even though we make mistakes and give in to temptation, it does not define who we are. Sin is like a stranger who invades your heart and makes itself comfortable, and we allow it with its deceiving attraction. Now, it has claimed your heart and controls your ship, putting you under its hypnotic spell. Despite knowing what’s right, you persist in doing what you’ve done for so long, even though it’s proven to be wrong.
Our struggle against our desires drains much of our energy, as we mistakenly believe we are fighting Satan when we are, in fact, battling our own inner lust. Satan may bring you websites, relationships, shapes, and pictures. He knows your weaknesses and you crave them, but that’s all he offers. From there, your body takes over the fight, just as St Paul said—“nothing good lives in my flesh.”
God, You are mighty and holy. Why do You allow me to look away from You? I feel like I’m sinking into deep water with no hope of escape. I’m drifting further and further away from You. You know I don’t want this, but here I am, repeating the same mistakes over and over. Please take the small part of me that resists and amplify it, so that I truly don’t give in to temptation. I’m seeking Your help to heal. The only thing a man can promise his doctor is that he will show up for his appointment. Here I am, ready for my appointment, and I have faith in Your ability to heal my heart. My heart is broken; yet, Your voice reminds me of Ezekiel 36:26.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).
Maybe my heart is not willing to walk with You now, but St Paul said:
“For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
Also, in Ezekiel 36:27 you said:
“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27).
My Lord, You said You would cause me to walk in Your statutes, so why do I still struggle with my weaknesses and fail to obey Your rules? However, I now understand the reason behind my continued failure. Though You have given me the determination, I am still easily enticed by my own cravings.
“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).
Oh God, my desires lead me into sin, and when I lose control, death is imminent. My heart is like rocky land—shallow soil with thorns everywhere. No matter how many times You sow Your seeds, I stumble and regress. However, like David, I cry out for a new heart, O Lord—one that can yield a harvest of a thirty, sixty, or hundred times the seeds that were planted.
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My dear, I understand the temptation and the lack of desire or motivation to pray. But I encourage you to push yourself—just dedicate five minutes to God. I have faith that, in time, you will experience the reward.
Start with five minutes of prayer
WinThisBattle!
