Nobody who is reading this post should
be doing so on a device that has neither an Internet filter and/or
accountability. Christians especially
should never use a personal computer, phone, or other device with Internet
access that is not protected from the evils the world, the flesh, and the devil
make easily available on the Internet. The best route is to have both filtering
that keeps the bad stuff away and accountability that sends all one’s websites
to an accountability partner or two (or more), such as a spouse, pastor,
parent, discipler, etc. You need a
filter and Internet accountability because:
be doing so on a device that has neither an Internet filter and/or
accountability. Christians especially
should never use a personal computer, phone, or other device with Internet
access that is not protected from the evils the world, the flesh, and the devil
make easily available on the Internet. The best route is to have both filtering
that keeps the bad stuff away and accountability that sends all one’s websites
to an accountability partner or two (or more), such as a spouse, pastor,
parent, discipler, etc. You need a
filter and Internet accountability because:
1.) Scripture sets the positive pattern:
“I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn
aside; it shall not cleave to me” (Psalm 101:3).
Pornography is without doubt a wicked thing which you must resolve to
never, ever set before your eyes. Holy Job said: “I made a covenant
with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” (Job 31:1).
Furthermore, the Lord Jesus Christ warned: “Ye have heard that it
was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto
you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).
The fearful connection of lustful looks with ungodly actions was
manifested even in the godly king David, the man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).
Even this righteous king, after looking on the nakedness of his
neighbor’s wife, committed physical adultery after spiritually committing the
sin in his heart (2 Samuel 11).
You should by no means think that you are stronger than King David.
“I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn
aside; it shall not cleave to me” (Psalm 101:3).
Pornography is without doubt a wicked thing which you must resolve to
never, ever set before your eyes. Holy Job said: “I made a covenant
with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” (Job 31:1).
Furthermore, the Lord Jesus Christ warned: “Ye have heard that it
was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I say unto
you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed
adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).
The fearful connection of lustful looks with ungodly actions was
manifested even in the godly king David, the man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).
Even this righteous king, after looking on the nakedness of his
neighbor’s wife, committed physical adultery after spiritually committing the
sin in his heart (2 Samuel 11).
You should by no means think that you are stronger than King David.
2.) God warns that sexual
temptation is extremely powerful. Listen to His warning about the
“strange woman,” the heathen, pagan, or immoral lady, who has ruined the lives
of innumerable godly men and has brought innumerable worldlings to hell:
“Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of
my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her
paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been
slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of
death.” (Proverbs 7:24-27).
Is not an unfiltered computer one of the primary ways today that men go
in the “paths” of the immoral woman and are cast down to hell by their own
inflamed lusts through her?
temptation is extremely powerful. Listen to His warning about the
“strange woman,” the heathen, pagan, or immoral lady, who has ruined the lives
of innumerable godly men and has brought innumerable worldlings to hell:
“Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of
my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her
paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been
slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of
death.” (Proverbs 7:24-27).
Is not an unfiltered computer one of the primary ways today that men go
in the “paths” of the immoral woman and are cast down to hell by their own
inflamed lusts through her?
3.)
Christ’s model prayer includes the request: “ And lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13).
You cannot honesty and sincerely ask God to not lead you into temptation
if you refuse to protect yourself from being a few clicks away from an
incredibly vast library of pornography. Furthermore,2 Timothy 2:22 commands: “ Flee
also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them
that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Would you say that remaining
a handful of seconds away from a bloodthirsty beast that wanted to pounce on
you and devour you would be “fleeing” from it? Genesis 4:7,
in the first instance of the word “sin” in Scripture, pictures sin as a bloodthirsty beast with a passionate
desire to devour you. If you have an unfiltered, unaccountable
computer or smartphone, you are constantly a handful of seconds away from
incredible evil that can permanently ruin your life, your family, your
testimony for the Lord, and can have immeasurable eternal consequences.
You are simply and flatly disobeying the command to “flee” lust and
“follow” after righteousness if you have an unfiltered device with Internet
access. You are failing to be on guard and watch against that devouring
beast of sin, remembering that your flesh is weak (Mark 14:38)
and you are giving place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27).
God does not allow the believer to encounter a temptation that he cannot
gain victory over by Christ’s enabling grace (1 Corinthians 10:13),
but “the way to escape” is regularly to “flee” it, not to keep it around (1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Timothy 2:22; Genesis 39:12).
God commands concerning the way of the wicked: “Avoid it, pass not
by it, turn from it, and pass away” (Proverbs 4:15).
If you have an unfiltered phone, the fact is that you are entering into
temptation (Mark 14:38).
Do not be surprised if you fall into it.
Christ’s model prayer includes the request: “ And lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13).
You cannot honesty and sincerely ask God to not lead you into temptation
if you refuse to protect yourself from being a few clicks away from an
incredibly vast library of pornography. Furthermore,2 Timothy 2:22 commands: “ Flee
also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them
that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Would you say that remaining
a handful of seconds away from a bloodthirsty beast that wanted to pounce on
you and devour you would be “fleeing” from it? Genesis 4:7,
in the first instance of the word “sin” in Scripture, pictures sin as a bloodthirsty beast with a passionate
desire to devour you. If you have an unfiltered, unaccountable
computer or smartphone, you are constantly a handful of seconds away from
incredible evil that can permanently ruin your life, your family, your
testimony for the Lord, and can have immeasurable eternal consequences.
You are simply and flatly disobeying the command to “flee” lust and
“follow” after righteousness if you have an unfiltered device with Internet
access. You are failing to be on guard and watch against that devouring
beast of sin, remembering that your flesh is weak (Mark 14:38)
and you are giving place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27).
God does not allow the believer to encounter a temptation that he cannot
gain victory over by Christ’s enabling grace (1 Corinthians 10:13),
but “the way to escape” is regularly to “flee” it, not to keep it around (1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Timothy 2:22; Genesis 39:12).
God commands concerning the way of the wicked: “Avoid it, pass not
by it, turn from it, and pass away” (Proverbs 4:15).
If you have an unfiltered phone, the fact is that you are entering into
temptation (Mark 14:38).
Do not be surprised if you fall into it.
4.) The Lord Jesus also taught: “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in
me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and
that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world
because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that
man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend
thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter
into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into
everlasting fire.” (Matthew 18:6-8)
It is better to significantly change your lifestyle than to cause one
Christian to stumble into sin or one non-Christian to not embrace Christ and
the gospel (1 Corinthians
8:13). If it would be better to have your body parts hacked
off than to either sin yourself, lead one of your heavenly Father’s beloved
children to sin, or lead one of your fellow men to eternal torment in hell by
your bad example, how necessary it is for you to have a filtered computer and
Internet accountability! Vast numbers of Christians have fallen into
terrible sin, and vast numbers of unbelievers reject Christ and are eternally
damned because their hard hearts are too in love with pornography and other
sexual sin to repent and trust in that Savior who
always delivers from both the penalty and power of sin when the lost come to
Him to be justified by repentant faith alone. If you are one
of the rare people who, by God’s utterly undeserved mercy, does not yourself
fall into sin when you have unaccountable and unfiltered Internet access, you
are certainly being a terrible example and are causing others to stumble.
If having an unaccountable and unfiltered Internet meant that your right
arm and left leg would be chopped off, would you spend a few dollars and get a
clean Internet connection? Who would not? But it would be better
for you to lose your limbs than to cause even one person to stumble by your bad
example. Clearly, today is the day to make sure that you, your family,
and everyone you are responsible to God for has clean, accountable, and
filtered Internet access, or no Internet access at all.
Note: For a short time (the next 12 days), using the code FAITHSAVES gives a 60 day free trial of Covenant Eyes instead of the normal 30 day free trial. Use this link if you want more information or sign up.
me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and
that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world
because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that
man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend
thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter
into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into
everlasting fire.” (Matthew 18:6-8)
It is better to significantly change your lifestyle than to cause one
Christian to stumble into sin or one non-Christian to not embrace Christ and
the gospel (1 Corinthians
8:13). If it would be better to have your body parts hacked
off than to either sin yourself, lead one of your heavenly Father’s beloved
children to sin, or lead one of your fellow men to eternal torment in hell by
your bad example, how necessary it is for you to have a filtered computer and
Internet accountability! Vast numbers of Christians have fallen into
terrible sin, and vast numbers of unbelievers reject Christ and are eternally
damned because their hard hearts are too in love with pornography and other
sexual sin to repent and trust in that Savior who
always delivers from both the penalty and power of sin when the lost come to
Him to be justified by repentant faith alone. If you are one
of the rare people who, by God’s utterly undeserved mercy, does not yourself
fall into sin when you have unaccountable and unfiltered Internet access, you
are certainly being a terrible example and are causing others to stumble.
If having an unaccountable and unfiltered Internet meant that your right
arm and left leg would be chopped off, would you spend a few dollars and get a
clean Internet connection? Who would not? But it would be better
for you to lose your limbs than to cause even one person to stumble by your bad
example. Clearly, today is the day to make sure that you, your family,
and everyone you are responsible to God for has clean, accountable, and
filtered Internet access, or no Internet access at all.
Note: For a short time (the next 12 days), using the code FAITHSAVES gives a 60 day free trial of Covenant Eyes instead of the normal 30 day free trial. Use this link if you want more information or sign up.
"Listen to His warning about the “strange woman,” the heathen, pagan, or immoral lady, who has ruined the lives of innumerable godly men and has brought innumerable worldlings to hell".
It does and has ruined the life of men, but they were not godly men. And that includes David the king.
Dear George,
I have difficulty seeing how a man Scripture says was after God's own heart, the sweet psalmist of Israel, was not godly. The godly need to beware of the power of temptation as described in the article above, for they, and not the wicked only, are able to fall.