Hooked On Porn? Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid. | Psalm 111:10

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”
Psalm 111:10

If you want to quit porn, fear God. If you want wisdom, fear God. If you want to discover why you sin sexually, habitually, fear God. If you want to overcome sexual temptation, fear God. If you want to gain victory over your sexual immorality, fear God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

One of the problems in the church today (in the church in North America, at least) is that men don’t fear God anymore. There was a time when people would refer to a devout Christian man as “a God-fearing man.” How quaint. Today, we don’t tremble at God’s word. We don’t shake with fear at His judgments. We don’t cower in His presence. And because we don’t fear God, we don’t obey God. And because we don’t obey God, we lack victory over sexual sin.

You and I as Christian men are to fear God. And I don’t mean the modern-day interpretation of this word. Preachers today will tell you that you aren’t supposed to actually fear God. No, you are to reverence God, have a holy awe of God, or have a deep respect for God. But that’s not what the scriptures say, is it? This word “fear” that appears here in Psalm 111 is the Hebrew word for terror. It appears around 300 times in the Bible in reference to God. It always means fear.

If you want to see what this looks like in real life, read the Bible. Moses feared God (Acts 7:32). Noah feared God (Hebrews 11:7). Abraham feared God (Genesis 22:12). David feared God (1 Chronicles 13:12). Mary feared God (Luke 1:30). Paul feared God (2 Corinthians 5:11). From Genesis to Revelation, you discover that people who love the Lord fear the Lord. And those who fear the Lord obey the Lord. If you long to conquer your compulsive sexual sin, set your sights on God, and fear Him. As Jesus says, “Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).