Poor in Spirit
Is it possible for someone to quit porn and keep their way pure? If the answer is yes, the next most significant question is: How?
Many have recognized their need for freedom from porn, only to say later, “I’ve tried everything, so why am I still addicted?”
We must look to the Scriptures for wisdom to answer this question. Yes, it is possible to quit porn and keep your way pure. But God’s Word helps us discover some key ingredients to that freedom: our focus must be on becoming something, not just quitting something.
True and lasting freedom is available.
When Jesus gave the earth-shattering Sermon on the Mount, He began by sharing eight qualities called the Beatitudes. He calls us to be something before He tells us to do something. This series will explore Jesus’ teachings in the Beatitudes and how these eight characteristics are critical to walking in freedom from sexual sin.
Jesus starts with being poor in spirit. Have you ever considered why?
Identity Crisis
Understanding who we are in Christ matters because identity impacts behavior. Before jumping into the Beatitudes, we must consider that when someone recognizes their sin and puts their faith in Christ, their identity changes. They become a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). They become a child of God (1 John 3:1)!
I would love to tell you that the moment someone receives Christ, there is no more struggle against sin, but every believer will understand that the process is just beginning. Yes, we now have the Spirit of God, but we also have our weak flesh. These two are in conflict with one another. But take heart; this is a conflict God has equipped us to fight and win.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
-Matthew 5:3
I’m So Blessed
Blessed is a word that makes us happy. Everyone wants to be blessed! It makes sense because the root of this word can literally be translated as “happy.” Now everyone wants happiness, but not everyone wants to get there the way Jesus describes here in Matthew.
To be poor in spirit means to see our brokenness, weakness, and need. Jesus says those who recognize this will be blessed. In other words, Jesus says that happiness will be found in our brokenness, weakness, and need. It’s not easy to embrace being broken, to admit you are in need. Yet, Jesus makes this a key characteristic for all who follow Him.
We must learn to look to God for the resources we lack. Too often, we trust only in our strength and willpower. But to be poor in spirit is to recognize that I can do nothing apart from Christ, including overcoming sin.
Paul understood this as he stated in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
What do we typically do with our weakness? Hide it. Excuse it. Spin it. But Paul says he celebrates and boasts about his weakness. Why? Because admitting our need is the first step to trusting in God’s strength instead of our own. This is when we become strong. This is when we become strong with God’s supernatural strength.
Confessional
Many people who wrestle with porn live in denial. There is an unwillingness to admit they are broken. They deny, minimalize, and rationalize their porn use. Freedom demands honesty and confession as the first step towards repentance. Only the poor in spirit will follow James’ command, “Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed…” (James 5:16).
The poor in spirit see their weakness and are driven to confess. They refuse to keep what’s in the dark hidden. The humility that comes with the poor in spirit gives us the freedom to confess because we, like Paul, embrace our brokenness. We are all in need. And it’s not a partial confession. It’s a total exposure of the darkness.
One young church planter, who, while helping others, found himself addicted to porn, could not bring himself to confess his sin to his family or church. It cost him dearly. Listen to what he said in the days following his sin being exposed:
“Looking back, it was all because of my pride. I was so afraid of how I would look to people that it cost me everything, and I still ended up looking about as bad as a man could look – not because I came clean but because I did not.”
There is a great lesson to be learned here. Please don’t miss it. Pride will drive you to conceal. Humility will give you the courage to confess and do so fully.
True Repentance
While confession is a key part of the process, it is not all of it. Some make a habit of confession without repentance. These are two separate things. A pastor once said, “Confession without repentance is just bragging.” Confession is admitting sin is present. Repentance is doing something about it. A repentant heart is taking the steps to turn from sin and turn towards God.
None of this is possible without being poor in spirit. It’s foundational and why Jesus began the Beatitudes with this key component of our new identity in Christ. So, as we strive for freedom, let us do so by being poor in spirit.
Looking for that next step in finding freedom? Take the 30-Day Challenge.
FAQ’s
Is it possible to quit porn?
Absolutely. The enemy wants you to believe the lie that it’s not possible, so you give up and stay stuck. Don’t believe it. You can check out the many freedom stories on our website (thefreedomfight.org) and the videos in the leaders section sharing examples of real and lasting freedom. There aren’t just testimonies that counter that lie but God has promised that freedom is possible in John 8:32-34. Notice the conditions in this passage for freedom (other promises of freedom (Romans 6:10-11, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Psalm 119:9,11).
What are the steps to quitting pornography?
- Be honest. Confess fully to a trusted friend or mentor.
- Be connected and accountable to others on a regular basis. The Freedom Fight app/website allows you to have daily check-ins and use the “I’m Triggered button” when tempted.
- Be committed to a program that addresses the roots of the addiction from a biblical, scientifically informed and gospel centered perspective – like the Freedom Fight.
Is masturbation a sin?
We dive fully into this question on a separate blog you can read HERE.