I’m going to tackle an issue, and there’s a high chance you’re already battling it. However, to my knowledge we’ve never put any ideas out on this topic. Let me explain.
When I was growing up, two phrases were everywhere: “Just say no,” and “Because I said so.” You remember those? “Just say no” was the go-to anti-drugs campaign. The logic? Don’t ask questions—just obey. And “because I said so” was the parental trump card. My teenage angst translated both of those as: “I don’t trust you enough to explain the ‘why.’” What I thought was, “they don’t even know ‘why’ we shouldn’t do all these things.” In truth, I had to find answers on my own for many of the “don’t” topics.
And that’s how a lot of men have heard the message about pornography in the Church. Every mens ministry book or gathering carries the ongoing message that is a little numbing. Don’t do it. Don’t look. Don’t touch. Just say no. Why? Because the Bible told us so.
But, what if there’s more than just a “no” here? What if there’s a yes that nobody ever told us about?
Everyone already knows the trap of porn. It’s the ‘one-thing that binds us all in darkness’. We’ve sat through the talks, read the stats, been through the awkward accountability moments. It’s not a knowledge problem anymore — it’s an imagination problem.
Here’s the deeper issue: We actually need a fantasy life — we’re not meant to get rid of it. One that thrills and excites us. One that helps us escape this world and entertain hope.
God gave us imagination not to be suppressed, but to engage with Him. Colossians 3 tells us, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Why? Because He knows our minds need a place to go. A place that fuels joy and restores hope.
We were wired to dream — to picture the Kingdom coming, our future home, a city where tears are wiped away, a reunion with Christ face-to-face. That’s not escapism; that’s spiritual sanity.
But when porn hijacks your imagination, it rewires your longing. Your fantasy life gets trapped in the temporary. The thrill that was meant to anticipate Heaven gets wasted on the flesh.
Instead of daydreaming about what eternity will be like, we’re stuck in the soul-drain of lust. And our capacity to imagine the life to come shrinks to the size of a screen.
What if saying, “no” to porn isn’t about restriction, but redirection?
God wired us with imagination for a purpose. It’s the part of us that lets us anticipate Heaven. It’s the part that resonates when Jesus says, “I go to prepare a place for you.” It’s where longing and worship meet.
Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” But if your desires have been trained by years of counterfeit indulgence, you may need to re-learn what delight even feels like.
Try this: Here’s how we are going to tackle it. During your devotional time, take the greatest pain you have right now and imagine the opposite of that in eternity. Write it out. Then, think about the thing you’re best at, and ask God how He will use it in you forever. Journal all of this and make it a weekly habit. I’m doing this frequently. If you want this to get bigger, talk about it with your closest friend(s).
The best part is this isn’t fantasy. And it’s not fiction. It’s a glimpse of your future.
You weren’t made to white-knuckle your way through purity. You were made to experience joy —real joy— through intimacy with the Creator.
This is what David meant in Psalm 16:11: “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Not metaphor — real pleasure, real presence, real joy. Imagining that is where we go. Where else would we want to be?
Look, porn doesn’t just pull you into sin — it pulls you out of the story God is writing for you. But that story can be recovered. That imagination can be healed. That mind can be renewed.
Here’s the better fantasy: Not just saying no to porn—but saying yes to the presence of God. Yes, to imagination. Yes, to a future so good it compelled David to say that one day in God’s presence is better than a thousand elsewhere.
Don’t settle for lesser fantasies. Let God recapture your imagination. Not just to correct your behavior—but to expand your vision for eternity.
You were made to dream with God.
You were made for more now.
Let eternity begin today.
In your corner,
Jeff
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Jeff, Thanks for tackling a sensitive stealth issue that according to survey data is as real within the church as it is outside the church. The church needs an Addition Anonymous care group for porn prone addicts likely best caste as a prevention approach to make it easier for anyone to participate without the fear stigma of acknowledging addiction. The infected mind needs a cleansing of the “chip” and a reprogramming with a better substitute so healing can begin”.
As you say, it is “Not just saying no to porn—but saying yes to the presence of God. Yes, to imagination. Yes, to a future so good it compelled David (who had an adulterous addition) to say that one day in God’s presence is better than a thousand elsewhere.
Don’t settle for lesser fantasies. Let God recapture your imagination. Not just to correct your behavior—but to expand your vision for eternity.”
Infinite blessings will flow with the cleanse which give God the Master “key to all the rooms” in our life and makes our heart a holy place in which He can dwell to displace all else that robs us of being all He made us to be.
Well said Jeff. A new way at looking at how to tackle the problem of sin in our lives – redirect our imagination toward heaven and eternity with our Creator. The church doesn’t do that good of a job talking about these issues that plague young people today. Just saying No doesn’t work. We have to love these kids and let them know they are not alone, and show them how to deal with whatever their struggles are.