Images are powerful and can stay with us for a long time. Even as we make new commitments to stay away from pornography now and in the future, what do we do about the images that may come back from the past?
If you've admitted your sins to Jesus and asked for His forgiveness and leading of your life, the Bible is clear that you are saved and rescued from your sin (Romans 10:9-10). That rescue can't protect us from the thoughts of past experiences though. Instead, we can remember the words of Romans 8:1: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who in Christ Jesus." This means that, as a Christian, when you feel the guilt of the past, your soul isn't lost. In fact, guilt doesn't come from God. God will convict us of current sins so that we repent and turn back to Him, but He wipes away the sins of the past and has no need to bring them up again (Psalm 103:12; Micah 7:19).
Sometimes the regret and guilt of porn feels different from other sins, but all past sins can create this guilt. Someone feels the guilt from their past angry outburst at a friend or family member. A person who used to steal often sees a story about theft and thinks back to their time of stealing from friends and strangers. No matter the sin of our past, there is always the temptation for guilt in the future. When lustful images of the past return, instead of choosing guilt, we can choose godliness by not dwelling on them.
It’s not just former memories, but future temptations we must be on guard against. A man named Job once said he made a covenant or promise with his eyes "not to look lustfully on a young woman" (Job 31:1). This can be a similar promise you make for both new temptations and when the old ones come back up.
Temptation is going to come. While we don’t want to dwell our past sins, we should learn from them. Knowing that we’ve had a problem in the past leads us to make decisions like Job did for our future. We can decide beforehand to make the choice of treating others as people and not objects.
1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God prepares us for these moments: "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." This means every temptation has a way out. When I was a freshman in college, my seat was where I had a clear view of the door, so I made the decision to look down at the floor or my notes until class started so I didn't simply stare at every girl that walked in. Making that decision beforehand allowed me to be on guard for myself—and to prepare me to help others in the future.
We can allow our battle with sexual temptation to help others. It’s tempting to stay silent about our past failures, but when we’ve made clear choices to resist those failures for the future, it allows us to help others. James 5:16 tells us to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other.” I’ve shared my own failures in the past so others would know that I understand the temptations and sins they're experiencing, and I’m willing to walk with them through it.
As a Christian, I realize that when I obey Jesus, I’m preparing myself to be on guard for others. I’m making myself ready to help others obey Jesus and to find that they’re not alone in the battles they face.
When thoughts or images come up, start talking to God about it. Ask Him to help you move away from it and to help you move forward with Him. That movement will be an encouragement to you and give you the chance to be an encouragement to others.
If you've admitted your sins to Jesus and asked for His forgiveness and leading for your life, the Bible is clear that you are saved and rescued from your sin (Romans 10:9-10). That rescue can't protect us from the thoughts of past experiences though, creating new shame, guilt, and temptations. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God prepares us for these moments by providing a way out of every moment of temptation. When the images of the past return, instead of choosing guilt or indulgence, we can choose godliness by shifting our focus away from sinful fantasies and making choices that will guard our hearts and minds in the future.
Heath served as a youth pastor and speaker for over a decade around the United States. He now serves as a pastor in Northern Illinois with his wife and three teenage kids. Heath enjoys running, going out on dates with his wife, and helping people grow in their walk with Jesus!
