{Written December 2, 2019}

My Testimony

About three and a half years ago, I found myself entangled in pornography. (I became entangled after many years of living as a carnal and lukewarm believer).

After crying out to God for help, I was led to a book by Kay Arthur called “Lord is it Warfare: Teach me to Stand”. In this book, I learned that feelings are not facts and that I did not have to obey what I felt. This book also taught me how to quote the Word when I felt tempted.

So, this is what I did. EVERYTIME I felt tempted, I would quote the Word until the feelings of temptation fled, which never took more than a couple minutes. But then one day, after quoting the only verses I knew by memory at the time (Ephesians 6:10-18) …several times, the enemy did not flee….

So, I began to panic and each moment that passed, I felt increasingly overwhelmed. And I began to think that if these feelings persisted, eventually, I would have to succumb to it.

But this was a lie.

As I continued to panic, while frantically looking through my Bible for another Scripture that would help me, I suddenly felt the calming Spirit of God.

I felt the Lord say, “So now you believe the temptation more than you believe Me?” As soon as I acknowledged & realized this was exactly what I was doing, the temptation fled.

Now this may NOT seem like something profound to some, but I can assure you it is.

You see, the longer the temptation persisted, the more I began to think & believe in what the enemy was doing. And this was my problem. Because I had stopped putting my faith in the Lord Jesus & His Word and instead was putting my faith in the efforts of the enemy!

And one major way we overcome – is by our faith.

Consider the following verse:

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” 1 John 5:4 NASB

Faith is powerful. We come to salvation in Jesus Christ by our faith.

And as the above verse explains, we also overcome by it as well. We overcome by believing that the Lord is greater than our temptation, or whatever is it we may be facing. Because our Lord is in fact GREATER THAN ALL.

John 10:29-30 says this, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

Now, these last few verses that I have just quoted have not only taught us that God is greater than all, but that those born of Him will overcome. It also teaches us that there are things we must overcome and that there is someone who attempts to persuade us that we can be snatched out of the hand of God.

We learn from these verses that we are in a war.

A spiritual war that has spiritual weapons.

These weapons include our faith, the Word of God which is our Sword, and many other weapons.

Now imagine you were in a physical war, (a war you could see with your physical eyes) and you took out your Sword, but every jab you took was not doing any real damage to your enemy. Would you then just give up? Or would you change strategies and reach for another weapon?

I believe all of us would do the latter and reach for another weapon or piece of armor. So, let’s do that in this spiritual battle!

But before we reach for any other weapons, let’s remember to do what we just learned above and put our faith where it belongs, which is in the Lord and His holy Word.

Let’s find Truths from Scripture that we can stand firm in throughout our spiritual battles.

One Scripture I stand firm in when faced with any temptation is James 4:7 which says, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

I love this verse because it promises that the enemy has to flee from me! He will flee, if I submit myself to God and I resist his efforts with the spiritual weapons that are available to me!

So, ask yourself, “Have you done as James 4:7 says and submitted to God? Meaning, you have confessed your sins, asked forgiveness, and are you now, even in this moment trying to practice what you know to be right? Remember, you can repent at any moment while there is breath in your lungs. So repent now!

Now we need only resist the enemy by standing firm in the weapons the Lord has given us. If the enemy persists, then we persist. We stand firm until he flees because he has to flee, as the Scriptures have taught and promised us.

The Scriptures also outline for us the many spiritual weapons the Lord has made available to believers. And honestly, I have NOT learned how to use all of them. But what I have learned, I now give to you.

Weapon #1 – Walk Out The Consequences

Simply put. This means walking out the consequences of the sin in your mind. And not just the consequences that only affect yourself but the consequences it will have on those closest to you.

You see, we are sometimes really quick to bargain our own lives away. But are you just as quick to bargain the lives of those closest to you?

I once heard a man speak on how he overcame the temptation to have an affair. He overcame by NOT thinking of the consequences to himself… but rather the consequences to his oldest son. He thought of how his son looked up to him. He thought about the look on his son’s face, when he would have to explain to him why he cheated on his mother. He thought about how his family would break apart and how he would no longer share a home with his son or be apart of his son’s daily life.

You see, sin always has collateral damage. And this man’s son would share in the cost of his father’s sin. His life would be dramatically affected & changed. The consequences of his father’s actions would also be far reaching, affecting how his son views & experiences life today and for years to come.

But this man considered the cost.

MY TESTIMONY WITH WEAPON #1: WALKING OUT THE CONSEQUENCES

It happened a few months after I had read Kay Arthur’s book and I was walking in victory over pornography on a daily basis.

One day, as I am going along, I see something perfectly ordinary that triggers a thought. Then all of a sudden, I felt tempted and then overwhelmed.

Now, this situation should not have been such a shock to me as it was. At the time, I thought I was over these overwhelming feelings because I had been walking in victory for months! However, we should all know that the enemy will continue to try and tempt us at opportune times as the enemy did with Jesus. Luke 4:13 says this, “When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.”

So, if our Lord and Savior was tempted by the enemy at opportune times, then we will be tried in the same way as well. Especially when we are first coming out of a sin. This is how it was for me until I became stronger in my inner man.

Now, during this temptation I began to do what I always did. I quoted my Scriptures. I prayed. Yet, the feelings of temptation persisted.

But, my LORD brought to my remembrance the strategy of counting the cost. Then I began to think of the most devastating consequences of this sin.

I thought of my son, walking in on me viewing such things. I thought of how my kids would no longer respect me, or take counsel from me if they knew I had done such a thing. I thought of how giving in to this sin would give the enemy access to my house, which gives him access to my children.

And this last thought led me to think of my son: my only son being entangled in pornography because I opened the door to it.

I counted the cost. Then I told the enemy (aloud) that I would not give him access to my children. And he fled.

Do you see? One of the lies every temptation tries to sell us is that our sin only affects us. But that’s not true. Spend some time considering the cost.

Think of the most important people in your life. Even if you do not have any family, then think of your friends or those in your direct sphere of influence. Would your sin alter their lives? Would it hurt them or change who they are on the inside?

So, the next time you feel tempted, count the cost to those you love and use it as a weapon to overcome and send the enemy fleeing!

WEAPON # 2 – PRAISE & WORSHIP

What you may not know (I sure didn’t) is that the enemy knows the value of worship. And when we are under spiritual attack, the enemy seeks what should only belong to God – WORSHIP.

Consider the following verses:

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation, on the farthest side of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,

I will be like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:12-14 NASB

This passage teaches us that the enemy wants to be like God. And God is to be magnified! Not our problems, trials, and temptations.

However when we are faced with any of these it is easy for us to keep our eyes fixed on what the enemy is doing,… magnifying him. Yet, our eyes should be fixed on our Lord and Savior.

The Scriptures tell us this:

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrew 12:2-3 NASB

This passage not only tells us where our primary focus should be, but also gives us the chief reason why. Which is, “for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame.”

How many of you know that Jesus’ death, the way He died, His separation from His Father, and His three days in hell, was hard for Him to bear?

But He endured.

And He did this “for the joy set before Him.” And what was the joy set before Him?

It was us. He knew that when it was finished, we would be released from the power of death and hell! So He endured!

Likewise, when we are experiencing temptations and trials, we must endure for the joy set before us. And a joy we will experience: the enemy will flee and we will overcome.

This verse has taught us how we are to endure. Which is by fixing our eyes on Jesus.

And one way we can fix our eyes on Jesus… is by praise and worship!

MY TESTIMONY WITH WEAPON # 2: PRAISE & WORSHIP

Now, I knew most of these things that I just shared with you above. However, I did not begin to practice any of it until I heard Pastor Tony Evans say that the enemy was allergic to praise.

So that’s what I began to do any time I felt tempted and it’s what I have been doing ever since. I praise the Lord.

I pull out my phone, turn on my playlist, and worship! I flood the room, or car with the praises of God! If I can’t flood the area, because it’s night-time hours or for whatever reason, I put on my earbuds and flood my head with the praises of God.

I usually do this after I have prayed or spoken the Word of God, or both (you should always pray and ask the Lord for His leading against any temptation… EVERYTIME).

Sometimes, I praise the Lord in prayer by recounting all His blessings and everytime He has kept and/or delivered me.

But the entire time I do this, I keep in mind that the enemy must flee (as James 4:7 promises) and that all I need do is endure in Christ.

So, I speak His Word. I declare His Name in praise & worship, and I pray. I use all of the spiritual weapons that are available to me, and I endure. And every time, just as my Father promises in His holy Word, the enemy flees.

WEAPON # 3: SEEK GODLY COUNSEL

This is what you’re doing right now. You are seeking godly counsel by reading this article.

And this is another way that we overcome.

As I mentioned above, in the beginning of this testimony, the Scriptures say this:

“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” Revelation 12:11 NASB

We learn from this passage the importance of sharing our testimony! It is because this is how we overcome as believers.

This is why it is important for us to seek out the testimonies of others. So this is what I did. And doing this… delivered me!

MY TESTIMONY WITH WEAPON # 3: SEEK GODLY COUNSEL

It happened months after I had been walking in victory over pornogrphy. I had come across an old cell phone that belonged to a relative of mine. I was unsure of whose phone it was, and I turned it on.

That was a mistake. Immediately, I was bombarded with images of pornography. So I cut the phone off and threw it away. But I did not escape intact. I was tempted, and I did not know what to do about it.

Because up until this time, my eyes had been guarded. I would even turn away my eyes when people kissed on T.V. shows. So I quoted my verses, but I was still tempted. I prayed, but I was still tempted. (And at this time I did not yet know how to praise the Lord in the battle).

Then, I looked to the Father and told Him I did not know what to do.

Then, the thought came to my mind to google people who have gone through this. (I know it was the Lord that gave me this idea.) So this is what I did. I googled something like “how to overcome pornography when you have already been delivered from it.”

I found two articles. (I did not save them at the time, so I do not have the links. I am sorry for this.)

One article was by a catholic man. He said the Lord taught him how to overcome, by reminding him that the people associated with pornography, are someone’s mother, sister, and daughter. He also said that when he felt tempted, he would pray for the women who were trapped in this lifestyle to be saved and know God’s love for them.

The second article was by a young lady from the Covenant Eyes blog. She shared how a similar situation, like what happened to me, happened to her.

After months of victory over pornography, she was friended by an old college friend on Instagram and so she followed this friend’s private page back, only to quickly be bombarded with things she did not want to see.

She was then tempted. But she prayed and the Lord led her to pray for this friend’s salvation. Then the temptation fled.

After reading these two encouraging articles, I prayed. I prayed for the salvation of the people in the pictures I had just seen. I prayed for them to be delivered. And I purposely thought of them as God did, as lost children whom He wants to save.

And just like that, the temptations fled. You see, we are always better together. Which is my next & last weapon/point.

WEAPON # 4: PRAY WITH ANOTHER BELIEVER

Jesus says in Mathew 18:20, “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”

In this verse, our Lord is teaching us a very powerful lesson. He is teaching us the value of community and togetherness in Christ.

You see, we were never meant to walk this Christian life alone. There are many verses that teach us this vital lesson.

Consider the following verses:

• “Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17 NASB

• “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NASB
• “And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.” Ecclesiastes 4:12 NASB
• “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 18:19 NASB

These verses teach us that together we:

• Sharpen one another.
• That if one falls, the other can lift him up.
• That if one is overpowered, then two can successfully resist.
• And if two agree in prayer, our heavenly Father will surely answer us.

Now, these are powerful principles and promises from the Word of God.

Principles & promises that I have personally used as weapons against the temptations of my flesh and the enemy.

And now I will share my testimony with you. But before I do, there’s one thing I want you to keep in mind and that’s this:

• The Lord does not tempt us or send the enemy to attack us. However, the Lord does allow these things to happen in our lives. These things test & prove our faith and produce endurance in us. (James 1:2-3)

Here are the verses I just referenced:

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1 2-3 NASB

MY TESTIMONY WITH WEAPON # 4: PRAY WITH ANOTHER BELIEVER

There have been three separate times in the past 2 years where I have experienced a period of unwanted dreams. To be more exact… sexual dreams.

It was during these times that the Lord taught me many things. I have tried, proven, and tested many spiritual weapons during these times as well.

It was in these battles that I learned the value of memorizing and speaking Scripture. (Even more so than in past times). I also learned how to have faith knowing that if the Lord allowed a testing of my faith, then He has equipped me or is now equipping me to overcome.

But it was during the last episode that I learned the value of group prayer.

I had been having these dreams every night for over a week and I had been doing all I knew to stop them. I was speaking & quoting the Word each time I awoke from them. I was using my time when I awoke from each dream to give glory & praise to the Father. And in my daily walk, I was already guarding my eyes and ear gates. (I had been doing this for at least a year before these dreams began).

I was becoming very frustrated, and I began to grow weary.

You see, these dreams did not tempt me to do anything, but they did make me feel disgusted. I also began to question my relationship with the Lord. Which is exactly what the enemy wanted. You see, the enemy wants to make us feel weary in doing good and for us to doubt Christ’s love, our relationship with Him, and our authority in Him.

Then one night after waking from another horrible dream, the Lord brought to my remembrance a lesson I learned from Pastor Chip Ingram. In Pastor Ingram’s Spiritual Warfare series, he teaches that when we have done all to stand firm, that we should get with another believer or group of believers and pray.

So, this is what I did. I was living with my mom at the time, so I asked her to come and pray with me.

I told her about my problem and asked her to pray with me for my deliverance from these dreams. We prayed in agreement as Jesus says to do in Mathew 18:19. Then I went back to bed… and the dreams were gone. They did not return that night or the next night or the next.

The episodes vanished as if they had never existed.

The Lord answered us as His Word said He would.

I am a living witness to Mathew 18:19-20. That if two agree, and pray in Jesus’ name, the Lord will answer them.

I am a living witness to Ecclesiastes 4:12. That if one cannot resist, two can successfully resist.

So, use this testimony and overcome. Pick up the weapon of group prayer.

FINAL REMINDERS

I want to remind you that this is a war of the mind and that your faith/beliefs are a critical part of the battle.

Because none of these weapons matter if you do not believe that the Lord will deliver you.

Often times when I find myself in any spiritual battle or temptation, I remind myself of James 4:7 and Hebrews 12:2. Which say:

“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 NASB

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrew 12:2 NASB

These verses are my battle stance. They are where I plant my feet.

So no matter how intense the battle may become, I remember that the enemy has to flee and to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus.

Now, I would like to share one more verse with you, which is my favorite verse.

It’s Isaiah 41:10 which says:

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely, I will help you, surely, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

This is my favorite verse because the Lord promises to help us. I see His heart for me in this verse. I hold onto this verse like it is my life, because it is our very lives!

I say to the Lord, “You will surely help me!” I declare it to myself and to the enemy. And if the battle persists, I persist. Because there is an end to it… I need only endure.

I leave you with this prayer from Numbers 6:24-26:

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.