Lust Part 9: Media and the Internet

Susannah Wesley told her son in a letter:

“Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off the relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself” (cited in Sex is not the problem (lust is), 120).

As we bring this series to a close, these words seem a fitting opening to a topic so crucial to battling this issue: the media.  Whether our particular temptation is the internet, movies, YouTube, iTunes, books, magazines, music, or all the above, we will have to be victorious in the arena of the media if we are to be victorious in the area of lust.  Or any sin for that matter.  Media is so pervasive and so driven by sensuality that we are doomed to defeat if we do not establish our convictions and our battle plan in this area.  Firstly, let’s look at: 

                    1.      The big picture of the media

Paul exhorted his churches, ”But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints” (Eph 5:3).  These sins– “sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness”–capture so much of what we find in the media.  The Lord’s command is that these “must not even be named among you,” and so filling our eyes, ears, and minds with these is out of the question.  At times it is obvious that the material we are taking in is sinful and serves only to inflame our sinful desires.  Here our obligation is to eliminate them from our lives. 

Yet, what about the music, the magazine, the tv show, that isn’t sinful in itself, how do we evaluate these?  Perhaps these questions can help to evaluate these less obvious choices:

• Does this__web-site, movie, song, style of music, etc.__ tempt you to sin?
• Does this _____ deaden you to God and his kingdom?
• Does this _____ constitute a good use of my time?
• Does this _____ fall into the category of recreation, refreshing, good fun?
• Does this _____ make other priorities in your life harder?  E.g., late night movies can make church the next day more difficult.

The key to questions like these is honesty.  We can so easily justify a practice because so-and-so does it, and they don’t seem to stumble with it.  And yet, “each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom 14:12).  I won’t be judged according to the standards God has laid on your heart; you won’t be judged for the standards God has laid on my heart.  Instead, to paraphrase Paul, ”whoever has doubts is condemned if he watches that, listens to that, does that, because it is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Rom 14:23).  What is it that you are doing that your conscience condemns?  That is what God is calling us to stop.

Secondly, because it is so powerful and seductive, we need to reflect on: 

                   2.   Slaying the dragon of the internet

Philip Ryken has written:

“Being careful what we see has never been more important than it is today, when there are sexual images almost everywhere we look.  Porn has become the norm, and the greatest danger of all is the Internet, which is the most powerful purveyor of pornography in the history of the world.  What makes the Internet so dangerous is that it is anonymous, accessible, and affordable.  Anyone with a computer can download pornography in complete privacy.”

When it comes to temptation, these are frightening words: “anonymous, accessible, and affordable.”  This is a recipe for disaster if we are not careful.  Here are some thoughts to consider:

1. Covenant Eyes (www.covenanteyes.com).  There are other products like this, but start with the obvious: install a filter or a program that creates a “log” of all the sites you visit (like Covenant Eyes) and then sends it to a partner.  Our church office has these on all our computers so that we can eliminate just a bit the “anonymous” part of the internet.   
2. Identify what’s leading up to lustful indulgence on the internet.  This tip, and the rest, are from Josh’s book, Sex is not the problem (lust is).  Here the help is in trying to specifically see if our mood, time of day, schedule, lifestyle, computer usage, place of use, something along a practical or emotional line seems to (typically) precede our sin in this area.
3. Resolve that no technological convenience is worth sinning against God.  In the end, our holiness is far more precious than our connectedness.  We must realize this, and see that virtually any price is to be paid to maintain our integrity, even cutting out our eye, or chopping off our hand (Mar 9:47).
4. Examine your mind-set when browsing and the amount of time spent on-line.  Do you see your time on the internet as a chance to “release some tension” and so see it as, “just some me-time,” a little “sanctification vacation,” perhaps?  If so, then tighten the reigns and realize that we are not our own (1 Cor 6:19).
5. Have an accountability partner that consistently asks about your internet activity.  We need someone that can periodically, honestly ask about our computer habits.
6. Redefine ‘over the line’ (it’s not the edge of the cliff).  Don’t make the X-rated site the one that represents the “off-limits” part of the internet, but any site that leads you into temptation.  Maybe it’s a sports or news site.  Whatever it is, make “the line” in a place that will actually help to defeat temptation, not merely you bait you into more.
7. Use web-site filters, blockers, and accountability software as a final line of defense, not the first.  These ultimately will serve us only as long as we desire to be free in this area, but we shouldn’t overlook these very practical and useful helps.
8. Fight the sin hardest when you’re feeling strong.  Long-term obedience, holiness, righteousness is our calling before God.  Ultimately, there are no vacations from temptation.  We are always just a moment from a major stumble.  The more we live with that awareness, the more watchful and humble and holy we will be.  This is why grace must be the bedrock of our holiness.  The road is too long and the obstacles too great if we are not walking the grace of Jesus Christ.  His power and righteousness alone must be our confidence, boast, and glory.

There are no shortcuts to holiness or victory in this area.  Start small, but take consistent steps.  God will give you victory and grace and a renewed desire for holiness as you seek him, cry out to him, look to his word, rely on his church, pray fervently, and trust in his promises.  He is for us, with us, in us, and drawing us to him.  “And if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31).  Amen.

DJB