Purity is possible

Recently released statistics from the Barna Group’s Beyond the Porn Phenomenon report revealed that the gap in pornography use between Christians and non-Christians is shrinking.

The 2024 report showed that 68% of non-Christians admitted to viewing porn, just 14% more than the 54% of practicing Christians who conceded to doing the same.

Further insights from the study paint a very dark picture of the state of the Christian church at large: Of self-identifying Christians who confessed to consuming pornography at some level, this 54% majority is composed of a staggering 75% of Christian men and 40% of Christian women.

Additionally, 18% of Christian pastors said they currently view explicit material, and perhaps the most grieving statistic, according to the report, is that 95% of 11-year-olds have been exposed to adult material.

If those numbers are not shocking enough, consider that the report also found that 62% of Christians who admitted to porn use said they were comfortable with their behavior.

“It’s not just an epidemic. It’s a pandemic,” Emeal “E.Z.” Zwayne told The Stand in a discussion about his new book on the topic of personal purity. “It’s a massive tsunami that is just wreaking havoc. It’s destroying men, women, families, and children. It’s so destructive, and yet, at the same time, it’s so ignored.”

A resource for battle

Zwayne, president of Living Waters and host of the National Bible Bee Competition, further explained what he hopes to accomplish through his book, Fight Like a Man: A Bold, Biblical Battle Plan for Personal Purity.

Zwayne said he realized there were already many books addressing the topic, but he sensed some gaps that needed to be filled. So, he set out to produce a book that was biblically based, theologically sound, hyper-practical, and extremely memorable.

He also said he wanted the book to be non-graphic.

“I’ve actually had men tell me they had read a book on purity, but the book caused them to stumble because it was so graphic,” Zwayne said.

Most importantly, Zwayne said he wanted the book to be gospel-centric.

“The gospel is the hope for men to be helped; it isn’t just the instrument through which we’re saved,” Zwayne said. “It’s really the treasure house of spiritual riches from which we live. The by-products of the gospel affect every part of our lives.”

No peacetime mentality

Zwayne believes one of the primary reasons men are failing in the battle for purity is because they have a peacetime mentality while they are living in wartime days.

“Imagine a soldier during World War II being deluded into thinking that he’s on a luxury cruise ship heading for the shores of Bora Bora to an exotic resort, when, in reality, he’s on a Higgins boat heading for the shores of Normandy,” Zwayne said. “He’s going to get smoked on the battlefield because you don’t do that in war.

“So many men are going into the battle for purity that way, and they’re shocked that they’re not having victory,” Zwayne continued. “We prepare for everything else in life – education, careers, weddings, retirement, even vacations – yet men are not preparing in this most important area and equipping themselves.”

Zwayne said it is time for men to wake up, recognize the raging battle, and follow Scripture’s admonition to flee from sexual immorality.

Recognition of the enemy

To develop a battlefield mindset, Zwayne suggests that men not only need to recognize they are in a battle, but they also need to understand the insidiousness of their enemies.

“We need to know who our enemies are and what their battle plan is for us,” he said. “We need to recognize that the stakes are high. Our enemies don’t just want to sort of wound us. Scripture makes it clear our adversary,  the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion and wants to destroy us.”

For that reason, Zwayne dedicates 16 chapters in the book to covering extensively what he describes as “three ruthless enemies” in the war for purity – the devil, the flesh, and the world.

Preparation for battle

After showing men how to develop a wartime mentality and recognize the enemy, Zwayne commits another seven chapters to teaching them how to formulate a battle plan for sexual purity in both offensive and defensive ways.

“In what I call the ‘Six Cs to Succeed,’ I share six biblical principles, each with an alliterated sentence that men can understand and meditate on regularly,” Zwayne said.

For example, Zwayne’s third C is Crisis: Consider the Catastrophic Consequence of Compromise.

“I describe the Six Cs as preventative preparedness, because by meditating on them, men are filling their minds with truth, which helps prevent intensive attacks,” Zwayne explained.

Beyond the Six Cs, Zwayne shares defensive measures for men to use when they face temptation. One such measure is NOPE, an acrostic he developed after  counseling a young man struggling with pornography addiction.

“It stands for Not One Peek Even,” Zwayne said. “I encourage men to say that out loud when they’re tempted to look at pornography or [to] lust because it begins with a peek, then leads to intensive thoughts, then leads to lust.”

Connected to the NOPE principle, Zwayne shares another defensive measure he employs.

“When I say NOPE in times of temptation, I combine it with five declarations associated with love and directly correlated to five fingers on one of my hands,” Zwayne explained. “I imagine myself extending my hand toward a plow, as Jesus referenced in Luke 9:62, and determining not to look back toward any sexual temptation that would lure me away from my God.

“As I envision myself reaching out to grab the plow, I say the following five things, in successive order, as I systematically wrap each of my corresponding fingers, one by one, around the handle,” Zwayne continued. “NOPE – because I love my Lord; I love my lady (my wife); I love my lineage (my children and grandchildren); I love His lambs (other Christians); and I love the lost (unbelievers).”

“Because I love those things, [I say] ‘NOPE, Not One Peek Even.’ Not now, not ever,” he added.

Forgiveness in Christ

Though the book discusses the seriousness of the battle for purity and the dangerous consequences for living in defeat, it is not intended to beat down men.

Zwayne unashamedly calls men to purity, while also pointing them to the hope found in Jesus.

“We need to recognize that Christ is the only hope we have,” he said. “We need to acknowledge that He came to redeem us from sin, to save us because we couldn’t save ourselves.”

Zwayne highlights the benefit Christians possess of being able to go boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16) and to confess sin and receive forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9).

“I love what Jesus said about Himself, referencing Isaiah, that He doesn’t break a bruised reed, and He doesn’t quench a smoldering wick,” Zwayne said. “No, He mends us back to strength. He fans our ember until it becomes a flame again because He loves us, and He is for us. So, we need to look to Christ as our true help and our true hope.”