“The more I focused on the teachings of Jesus Christ, the more I became resistant to temptation.”
That’s the message in an article in this month’s New Era magazine. The girl explains how she was exposed to pornography at age 10 and after that, she became heavily involved in it for two years. Along with help from prayer and from her parents, she filled her time with working diligently on Personal Progress. As she did, she felt her Savior’s love and became resistant to the temptations of pornography.
Read her entire story in the article “Personal Progress Helped Me Overcome Pornography.”
The article also gives the following principles and tips for addressing pornography:
- Remember your true identity. Prayer, scripture study, fasting, and worship allow you to connect with who you really are.
- Be humble and honest, and seek truth. By doing these things, you can see yourself and the situation clearly.
- Turn to Jesus Christ. Your goal is to become perfected in Christ, not to be perfect all at once.
- Rely on Jesus Christ, and do His will. As you learn to rely on His power and the guidance of the Holy Ghost, you can overcome your challenges.
- Study “Let Virtue Garnish Thy Thoughts.” It’s available at lds.org/manual/let-virtue-garnish-thy-thoughts.
- Make a plan. Write and share your personal plan for change. Evaluate your influences, and make specific “if, then” plans to respond to them.
- Look for additional support and help. Talk to parents and Church leaders to determine what kind of additional help (including professional counseling) may be needed.
Remember
- It takes faith, hope, and time to heal.
- Healing and change come through focusing on the Savior, not on the habit.
- Help and support are available through Church leaders, professional counseling, family, and friends.
Find more information about these principles, as well as additional resources, at OvercomingPornography.org.
When I was a young girl, I was babysitting for a neighbor down the street and picked up a magazine to read. It was the first time I had ever read anything other than Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys! The porn shocked me, and I threw the magazine down in disgust. I found that those sentences continued to run through my brain as if my brain had been “branded”. Only through diligent prayers did those disgusting words finally fade into oblivion. Satan desires all to be miserable like himself. The battle rages on. I pray for my grandchildren every day that they will be able to sort out this crazy/evil world and choose the right! Hurrah for Zion and the great teachings available to us and our families!