Day 6: Always Be Reading a Book on the Topic
Think about this with me for a moment. If you had an employee working for you who was struggling in a particular aspect of his job to such an extent you might have to fire him, what would you think if he never even read one book on the topic that might save his career because, as he says, “I’m not really much of a reader”? What would you think about this? You’d think, This guy really isn’t all that interested in his job.
There are tons of helpful Christian books that address sexual sin. Pick one and read it. And when you finish it, get another. And get some friends to read them with you.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace by Heath Lambert. This book is not, as Lambert writes in the introduction, a book about pornography and the facts and stats about how rotten it is. It’s a book about how God’s grace enables us to overcome sexual sin.
Sexual Detox: A Guide for Guys Who Are Sick of Porn by Tim Challies. Challies was blogging about this topic when few others were. This book is the outworking of those posts. I appreciate the frankness of the book, especially as he discusses topics such as masturbation.
Closing the Window: Steps to Living Porn Free by Tim Chester. Chester treats sin seriously, handles the Bible accurately, and proclaims the grace of God powerfully. The book also includes many short testimonies from men about their struggle with pornography and how they are overcoming it.
Porn-Again Christian: A Frank Discussion on Pornography and Masturbation by Mark Driscoll. I’m aware of the issues around Mark Driscoll and his ministry at Mars Hill. However, I know several men (including myself) who have found this book very helpful and appreciate his blunt style. Along these lines, please be aware the subtitle is accurate; it is a very frank discussion.
What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? by Kevin DeYoung. You can tell from the title of this book that it’s not explicitly on the topic of lust. However, it’s the best book I know to give an overview of the Bible’s treatment of sexuality, even as it talks in particular about the controversies regarding homosexuality.
Diagnostic Questions:
What books have you already read about God’s design for sex? What did you like about them? Would it be worth rereading one of them?
Which book on the list haven’t you read yet? When are you going to start reading it?
Take 5 minutes to think and pray about these questions. Tomorrow I’ll share something very, very practical you need to do to help win the war against pornography.
Previous Videos:
Thank you for watching these videos. If you’ve found them helpful, be sure to share them with your friends and church leadership. To go deeper on each of these strategies (and a dozen other strategies), check out my book Struggle Against Porn: 29 Diagnostics for Your Head and Heart.
