How to Apply Practical Biblical Principles to Stop Watching Porn

Last edited: 2025-05-01 19:00:43

To stop watching porn is easier said than done for some Christians. Just being aware that the Bible is very clear that looking at a woman with lust is sin does not necessarily lead to you suddenly dropping this sinful habit. Let's walk through some practical ways that God teaches us on how to stop watching porn.

Praying for Protection Against Lustful Thoughts

Now, this was not that shocking to find as the first point on the list. Nevertheless, prayer is extremely powerful as porn addiction is 100 % a spiritual battle. You can be assured that Satan sends through all forms of media women such as the one described in Proverbs 5:3-6:

For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol; she does not ponder the path to life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.

Make sure to constantly pray for the Lord’s protection from sinful thoughts. Let me remind you of the famous Matthew 7:7 passage:

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Jesus Christ has given us the promise to give us what we seek and ask for through our prayers. Additionally, be also reminded of what it says in James 4:2-4:

You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

James also reminds us to ask God and to do so rightfully. So, ask God for protection and guidance against lust because that is right. I personally can see a clear correlation between temptation and the lack of prayer for protection in my life.

Confessing Your Sins to God and Your Brothers in Christ

What is more uplifting than the Gospel? To know that Jesus Christ took upon himself your sins so you could be declared righteous, as it is explained in 2 Corinthians 5:21:

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus is doing all the work for us, and what we must do is put our faith in him. This manifests in us repeatedly confessing and repenting of our sins to our Lord. 1 John 1:9 says:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If you have fallen for the temptation, ALWAYS confess and ask the Lord for forgiveness because he has promised you that he will always forgive you (Matthew 12:31, 18:21-22). You can be assured that Satan will be there when you have fallen into sin, telling you that you won’t be forgiven, but those are lies.

Those are the Good News, but you might still feel discouraged as your lustful habit still cannot be broken. Then I encourage you to do as it says in John 3:20-21:

For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.

Talk with another brother in Christ about your sin, come into the light that exposes your sin for others. Talk with someone in your church whom you trust and who can hold you accountable. Preferably someone that does not struggle with porn addiction since if both you do then you might be too light on each other. James also writes about this in 5:16:

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Having someone who holds you accountable and prays for you gives you a second and third thought about committing the sin of lust.

Adding Barriers so it is Hard to Watch Porn – Porn Blockers

The last practical advice I will leave you with is adding barriers to stop you from watching porn. The most effective barriers for me have been to use porn blocking apps and internet filter software. I have a guide for blocking porn on your phone and a guide to filter your internet from porn on your home network.

When I set up my blockers and filters, there is one verse which I try to apply as much as possible, and that is Matthew 5:29:

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.

As you likely already know, this is not to be taken literally, but it tells us that we should make sacrifices, no matter how big, if those lead us to not commit the sin of adultery. Therefore, you will have to make drastic moves to, by the grace of God, beat this sin. This might mean that you must, using for example the blockers suggested in my guides, block your whole web browser, block social media like YouTube and Instagram. You might even have to cancel your plan with your internet service provider just to break free. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES. For the wages of sin is death. God speed and may the Lord protect you!