here are some statistics for you: 43% of all Internet users view pornographic material; the U.S. spends $13.6 billion on porn; 85% of American pastors are "involved" with Internet porn...
no, this is not a talk about pornography. it is a few thoughts on addictions. most, if not all of us have addictions. for some of us it is eating too many pop-tarts. for others, it is pornography. what is an addiction? it is "the state of being enslaved to a habit." sometimes those habits are sins (porn). sometimes it is an unhealthy consumption of something good (pop-tarts). but regardless of the habit, if it is unhealthy or it becomes unhealthy, it can pull us away from God, our family, our friends, responsibility, etc
when I was 18, I was addicted to sports. i would come home from school and from 4pm - midnight I would watch football, basketball, sports center, etc. maybe I would come out of seclusion to get food (my other addiction). my grades suffered, my relationship with God suffered...all my relationships suffered. when i recognized this, i had to destroy it. so i fasted from sports for a while and killed the craving until i once again had a healthy balance.
was sports a sin? no. was over indulgence? yes. it was my "god." it had my time, my money, my focus, etc. the God of the universe says to have no other gods except him. so I had to fix that.
what is your god? who is your god? you say Jesus? ok, that is awesome. but is there anything that gets more affection than him? is there anything else that consumes your time, resources, emotions in an unhealthy way? more than Jesus?
don't make something up. but if you say no, just continue to be on guard against the simplest of things...because even pop-tarts can become a god...
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