Sex Addiction Not an Official Mental Disorder

Why am I not surprised?!

I agree with Linda Hatch. Sex addiction probably has little or nothing to do with the degree of one's sex drive. Even in my prepubescent teens I was somewhat fascinated by porn. In my late teens when my sex drive was probably at its highest level, the fascination remained but I was certainly not addicted to it. That addiction only came about in the '70's once the distribution of porn magazines became legal and was accessible through the corner grocery store. When I married, I completely stopped looking at porn for many years; but after my sex drive grew much weaker I was drawn back into it through the Internet.

I believe that porn addiction today has its primary root in its ease of accessibility.  When the devil spiritually bombards one's mind with mental, sexual images, one doesn't have to consider sneaking away to a distant sex shop to view similar images in all their graphic detail --  but merely Google on the Internet exactly what that spiritual bombardment is suggesting. While restricting the distribution of porn won't stop it from being addictive, the harder it is to access porn means the percentage of people per 100,000 who are addicted to it will be less. That's certainly corroborated by the very small percentage of porn addicts in the period prior to the lifting of restrictions on porn i.e. before 1973.

I agree. Those relying on the Internet need to have the latest filtering systems locked in. If they are not part of one's computer software, then they need to be installed; and if the computer is too antiquated to accept these filters, then it's time for a new computer. No expense should be spared in stopping the inflow of porn.

I can relate to that. That would certainly make things easier, but we all know in our heart of hearts, that just isn't going to happen. But our defeats and victories all come down to the choices we make. Christians who are assaulted by sexual imagery  possess the wherewithal to avoid contemplating it and thus prevent being drawn back into it. As Luther stated, " We cannot stop the crows from circling overhead, but we can prevent them from nesting in our hair."

Our sonship in Christ will not stop the assaults of the world and Satan, but the Holy Spirit enables us to deal with them in ways that are pleasing to God. We have the knowledge of of good and evil; of righteousness and unrighteousness; of the truth and the lie; of what is pure and what is vile. As Paul stated in Phil. 4:8, we need to dwell/think on that which is spiritually upliftingly, and also to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:1,2) gained by immersing ourselves in the truth, i.e. steady communion with God in the receiving of His Word and praying back to Him our desire/resolve (in the power of the Holy Spirit) to do what the Word instructs us to do and to not do what the Word forbids.

Doing pretty good, thanks but guarded as always. We should never assume that we are strong enough to withstand temptation through our own efforts. We are only strong while maintaining close communion with God i.e. through meditative study in His Word that awakens us to our deficiencies and of course, prayer that moves us to confess those deficiencies and to petition God for His empowerment to stand firmly against our corrupt flesh and the forces of evil.

Our communion with God is developed through these two disciplines and by them we are changed and conformed into the image of His dear Son so that we are moved to higher levels of obedience. The challenge for Christians is to emulate Christ's example. Can any of us say, "...for I always do those things that please Him... " (see John 8:29)? That's the challenge Christians need to strive for (see Matt. 5:48) even though perfection is impossible to attain. "For in many things we offend all..." (see James 3:2). But we do need to "raise the bar" of optimism, setting higher goals for ourselves. In so doing, we may reach a deeper level of consecration so that we choose to reject all invitations to sin willfully by being led of the Holy Spirit. (see Rom. 8:4,14).