Article : Finding the Way Out

by Ken Van Hyning

As I renewed my relationship with God, He continued to place very practical applications of His truths in my heart. James 1 spoke to me. I realized that when I acted out on the temptation of my fleshly desires, I created an appetite for that sin. The more I fed the appetite, the stronger it got. As a result, my relationship with the Lord had waned. My relationship with my wife was polite at best – certainly not intimate, and certainly not spiritual. My heart had been hardened, and my desire for spiritual things had slipped away.

The Lord also showed me how the battle against temptation is won or lost in our thought life. Like in Job 31:1, I made a commitment not to fix my gaze or look twice at any woman.

I confessed my desperate situation to my wife. I let her know where I was and what the Lord showed me. She agreed to hold me accountable. It has taken time and effort to rebuild a relationship of trust between us. But now, my relationship with my wife has never been better. I can see how much I was given over to pornography and how little I was focusing on the gift God had given me in marriage. Now I can focus my full attention and desire on my wife.

If you are struggling with pornography, there is a way out. It is possible to live a life free from the addiction to sexually explicit material. I encourage you to find a brother in whom you can confide. Share your struggles with him and allow him to keep you accountable, and allow him to ask you, “Do you really hate that sin?" As you leave that world of sin behind, you will begin to feel the burdens lifted from your shoulders and the peace that comes from living without that dark secret.

Ken Van Hyning of Portland, Ore., overcame his struggle with pornography with the Lord’s help and wanted to share his story to encourage other men who face this same struggle.