This is from Great Britain.
From England.
This person says, “I had an addiction to pornography.”
That’s what we're talking about here.
How is it that we can overcome this?
Make sure, long before you fall from grace,
you are established in grace and stay in that atmosphere where bitterness will not rise up, where...
Bitterness will bring you to fornication.
But stay in the atmosphere where we are conscious of God's presence.
Well, anyway, this person says, “I had an addiction to pornography that held me in bondage for 40 years.”
Four, zero.
“In the past, I had break free from this addiction by my own power and in my own strength
but failed every time.
The devil had used this addiction to heap fear, guilt, and condemnation on me.
He kept me bound in the fear and shame of being found out.
This fear and shame kept me from asking for help from the pastors of the various churches
I’d attended over 40 years.
I was even in leadership positions in some of those churches.
While reading Prince’s book, Destined To Reign, I got a fresh revelation of who I am in Christ.
I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Through this fresh revelation, the grip of this addiction was broken off my life forever."
Did you hear that?
I love the “forever” part.
“The grip of this addiction on my life was broken forever,” he says.
The revelation of what?
No condemnation but that you are the righteousness of God in Christ.
See, people think that when you tell people there’s no condemnation,
you are giving them license to sin.
No, no. People are sinning without license, in case you didn’t notice.
The thing is that when you tell people there’s no condemnation, you actually empower them.
Amen.
Because they see that now they’re not dealing with stones—impersonal laws—
they’re dealing with a loving Saviour.
And it’s harder to sin against a loving Saviour than stones.
And even when you do sin, you know the Saviour will always welcome you back,
if in your heart you maintain that sonship spirit.
So church... let me just finish this.
He says that, “I have even had this deliverance confirmed by a minister who received a word from God.
He said that there was someone in this meeting who had been struggling with pornography
and that now God had delivered him or her from it.
I now wear a ring on my finger to remind myself that I am righteous,
as righteous as Jesus, and there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
And that I’m perfect and holy in God’s sight.
Every time the devil tries to tempt me to view pornography, I just have to look at the ring
to remind myself myself that I am the righteousness of God in Christ and I overcome that temptation.”
This is an elderly man, to have that bondage for 40 years.
You cannot have that bondage when you are 5 years old, isn’t it?
Usually in puberty, it starts.
So the thing is this: What changed?
All this crying for holiness, are you producing it?
Or are you just attacking sinners?
You see, at Mount Sinai when those who worshiped the golden calf,
they were all killed by the edge of the sword of the Levites.
In the Old Testament, there's no answer for the sinner.
The answer is kill the sinner with the sin.
But when Jesus came down the Mount of Transfiguration, there was a boy
possessed with a demon.
The father cried to Jesus for help.
Jesus didn't throw the boy with the demon.
Jesus judged the devil, the demon.
He judged the demon, cast the demon out, saved the boy, loved the boy.
That's grace.