Porn addiction is a taboo topic in the church. But so many Christians are really struggling in this area, both men and women. Instead of seeking help, many people just choose to hide because of shame. But how should we, as followers of Jesus, respond to this issue? As for Lamar Odom, he chose to bring his struggle into the light and get help. And now he’s sharing the tools that have helped him get free.
The 40 year old former NBA champion, Lamar Odom, recently revealed in a video how he battled his porn addiction. The Christian Post reports that he is using the accountability software Covenant Eyes.
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In the video, Lamar disclosed how his porn addiction caused him great pain throughout his life. Not only to him but also to his loved ones. It even hindered his basketball career.
“In the NBA, if you’re late, they just fine you. I think about all the times I was in my hotel room [on] game day, and I had to get one more last in. So, I chose to be late for the bus just to watch a porno scene. It’s kind of crazy,” he said.
Porn and Relationships
Lamar shared just how consuming the addiction can be. He confessed that even when he was in bed with a woman, he would still watch porn.
“In my case, I don’t know how all these women I was dealing with just never brought it up. If I am in bed with a beautiful woman and I am watching porn while I’m in bed with her, that just goes to show it’s a problem,” he recounted.
But things started to change after Lamar met his now fiancé, Sabrina Parr. Sabrina works as a life coach and it was she who challenged him to get help for the addiction.
Sabrina revealed how Lamar’s addiction made her struggle with self-doubt and insecurity. “Is there something wrong with me? Is there something wrong with the way I look? I immediately thought, ‘I know I look good and I know I am attractive and I know I am to be desired. So, something is wrong with you Lamar and if you don’t fix it, I am not going to be here because that is turning me off.’”
“He was reaching for his phone more than reaching for me and I had a problem with that. I’m like, I want to be 100 percent desired, especially if I am laying right next to you.”
She warned Lamar that he would lose her if he didn’t give up porn.
Drugs vs. Porn Addiction
Lamar admitted that it was easier for him to give up drugs than his porn addiction.
“I don’t think you can die from watching porn, even though you kill relationships [with] people that you really love. It is kind of sad because society is not always right. I never thought about porn related to human sex trafficking. The two go hand in hand. Once I heard that, it kind of [made it easier] for me to stray away from it,” he said.
Finally Getting Free
In 2019, Lamar decided enough was enough. With the help of Covenant Eyes, he began to overcome it. Moreover, because of the software, hundreds of thousands of people who are struggling with porn have already been helped.
Covenant Eyes Chief Data Scientist Michael Holm told The Christian Post, “The software sees the screen just as you see it. The battleground has moved from the heavily-hampered world of network text-parsing right up to the visual input to your eye.”
The software sends alerts to “accountability partners” if a subscribed user tries to access pornography.
Lamar Odom also highlighted that putting God first in one’s life will help a person get through anything.
“I am a testament to that. God pulled me back hopefully to tell my testimony and help as many people any way that I can,” he said.
Source: The Christian Post