Being Open About My Struggle Helped Me Quit Porn for Good
I started using pornography when I was 15 years old.
Because of pornography, I had a lot of problems, but the biggest problem for me was the fact I couldn't talk and pray to God honestly. Every time I prayed, I felt so ashamed. This problem also kept me from talking honestly with my parents, siblings, and friends in the church. Over time, I started to feel alone, that I’m different from other youth in our church, and that I don't want to be in the church anymore.
However, through listening to High Noon's presentations, I learned that purity is not something that you lose but it’s something I can nourish. From then on, I determined to start by being honest with my parents. Through conversations with my parents, I could feel God's love and the fact that God wants to help me, but I wasn’t opening my heart to Him. After that, the first change that I felt was that I could pray to God honestly and the relationship with my parents and siblings became closer.
Through this experience, I learned that purity is the root of the relationship with God and other people. Also, I learned that purity doesn't mean that I shouldn't know about sexual problems. It means I have to be able to open myself up to God even if I make mistakes. And finally, I learned that no matter what mistakes we make, God is always waiting for us and he will always love us. We don't have to feel afraid to open our hearts to God.
I was able to quit pornography over one year ago, but am still working on my sexual integrity every day.