If you are trying to stop watching pornography, but you keep doing it, will God leave you?

Last updated on September 24, 2020

Question:

I am 15 years old. I have a problem watching porn. I had this problem for a year. Last month I found out that it is a sin to watch porn. I am scared that God will put me in hell or leave me. I just want to stop. If you’re trying your best to stop, but you keep doing it, will God leave you? I just want to stop.

Please help me.

Answer:

The difficulty in breaking away from porn is that our own body’s need fights against us. Your body needs to empty the seminal vesicles periodically because they can get too full. But you have mentally tied ejaculating to pornography. Thus when the need to ejaculate comes, by habit you go to porn to get relief.

The sad thing is that no one needs pornography. You do need to ejaculate, but that can be done without pornography. Where most boys fail is that they try to quit ejaculating instead of quitting porn. Their bodies won’t let them because not ejaculating isn’t an option.

In general, what God wants is for people to reject sin. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2). This doesn’t mean sin is conquered and you no longer have to worry about it. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (I John 1:8-2:1). So the real question is do you give up or do you continue to make a sincere effort to rid yourself of sin?