An Article by Hamilton Richardson
The Immoral Woman
by Hamilton G Richardson
It’s no lie that men, young and old alike, like war. Not armed conflict with rouge nations around the world, but war as depicted in movies, television shows, and books.
Men just like battles and weapons. It’s the way they were created and for proof, you can look no farther than little boys. It’s been often said that if you give a little boy a sandwich, in five minutes, he’ll have chewed it into a gun.
But as much as men would like to be in William Wallace’s sandals struggling for his nation’s freedom or Orlando Bloom fighting evil, undead pirates in the wildly popular Pirates of the Caribbean movies, most men wouldn’t want to find themselves in an ongoing battle with pornography.
So if this is true, the logical question is why are millions of self-proclaimed Christian men, teens, and more shockingly, pastors, dealing on a daily basis with an addiction to porn?
Is it because they’ve lost their faith in God to deliver them from their prurient thoughts or could it be that they live in a sex-drenched society that draws guys into lust with every turn of the channel or every click of the mouse?
The present condition of the United States as it relates to the “entertainment-based sex-trade,” can be compared quiet satisfactorily to the scripture in the book of Proverbs.
The wise Solomon, under God’s inspiration, describes what happens when a man wanders into a temptresses trap. He says, “I was looking out my window and saw a simple-minded man who lacked common sense…He was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman. The woman approached him, dressed seductively and sly of heart…she is often seen in the streets and markets, soliciting at every corner.” (Proverbs 7:6-12 NLT)
This immoral woman has an agenda here. She’s out there on the streets and at every corner looking for her next victim. Who can she seduce today? What foolish man can she ensnare? Does any of this sound familiar? The answer shouldn’t elude. The answer of course is yes, it’s all too familiar.
The nightly news shows prostitutes on the corners of every big city, but from a larger perspective, it’s painfully obvious that society focuses like a laser beam on sex without responsibility. It’s as if the sex culture is a ravenous creature on the streets and at every corner just waiting.
From the lingerie shops in every mall to video rental stores, to the magazine racks at gas stations and even so-called family-friendly book stores, this creature wants to ensnare every man who looks its way.
So what was the fate of the man caught in the trap of the immoral woman back in Proverbs? Starting in verse 21, it says, “So she seduced him with her pretty speech…he followed her at once, like an ox going to the slaughter or like a trapped stag, awaiting the arrow that would pierce his heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it would cost him his life.” (Proverbs 7:21-24 NLT)
The Scripture is clear that those men, who forget common sense and fall into the trap of lust, will suffer terrible consequences. So again, the question is posed, “Why do so many males, specifically those who claim to follow Christ, struggle with porn? If Scripture clearly teaches that men should flee from lust and sexual immorality, and when they give into temptation to confess and renounce it, why are so many still in bondage?
Maybe it’s because most churches are afraid to deal with real-life, painful, and sometimes embarrassing sins in the Body. When was the last time a sermon was given to encourage men to stay pure and flee from sexual immorality? What church has a group of men who meet with the sole purpose of keeping each other accountable? Where are the resources for men to turn to in order to win this battle?
XXXChurch.com is one of the edgier resources out there. This website is dedicated to helping all guys, including pastors, get free from the chains of porn addiction.
According to statistics cited, over 50% of men say that porn is a temptation and more than 30% say it’s a current daily struggle. Truly, the numbers are probably much higher.
XXXChurch.com encourages men to, “…clean it up. No more lying, no more deceit…you have a huge responsibility to the people around you. Your porn is driving those relationships into the ground, not to mention your personal relationship with God.”
Men are also encouraged to not keep silent about their struggles. Proverbs 13:28 teaches, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
Along with solid encouragement from the XXXChurch.com website, there are many books that are directed at assisting men with their struggles with porn. One such book is Faith in the Fog of War by Captain Chris Plekenpol (Multnomah, 2006).
This book is one man’s description of his experiences in Iraq and how his faith meshed with his duty as a fighting member of the military. Although Plekenpol deals with many different issues in his book, he clearly describes what he sees as the divided mind of Christian soldiers when it comes to pornography.
In his chapter entitled, “Jesus versus Jenna Jameson,” Plekenpol writes, “If you walk through any combat barracks, you are going to find one thing dominating the walls-hot, scantily-clad chicks.”
He goes on to say, “Throughout the past few weeks of death and heartache, I have noticed something else alongside the ladies--Bible verses…the battle of flesh versus spirit has begun.”
The Captain then describes an uncomfortable observation, “I see these guys thinking this Jesus thing is great, but they quickly lose interest…Jesus is just another cool thing to put on the wall next to Janet Jackson.”
Plekenpol brings out a good point in this battle between, as he says, “flesh and spirit”. Are men, whether soldiers or civilians, pastors or laymen, just following Jesus because it’s the cool thing to do, all the while keeping pictures of scantily-clad chicks on their walls or in their bedside drawers?
This question won’t be answered easily or in the next few days or weeks or months. Men will always have to watch their eyes and control their thoughts to fend off the daily insidious invasion of pornography.
They will have to search out resources to help them stay accountable. Pastors will have to talk openly in their churches about this addiction and not fear embarrassment or ridicule. All fathers will have to tell their sons to stay away from “the immoral woman” and explain the value of keeping themselves pure before God. All sons will have to listen to their dad’s advice.
In short, men will have to get serious in this war for their minds and hearts. There may not be swords and shields and guns, but the battle for the hearts and minds of men is real. And men must win.
Hamilton G. Richardson
Prattville, AL
Hamilton was born in Sydney, Australia but lived in San Diego, California from age 8 till about a year ago. That’s when he and his family moved to Alabama. Hamilton works as a Radio Producer and has a background in radio and television. "I love to write and, as most writers, I have aspirations of books and screenplays and the like. I have an awesome wife and six equally great kids."