According to Covenant Eyes, there have been over 3.5 billion online searches for pornography in the past 3 years. Pornography is responsible for destroying marriages, churches, families, and thousands of women, men, and children. The pornography industry generates approximately $13 billion per year in the United States alone and is responsible for 70% of online pay-per-view purchases.

Pornography affects millions of children, teenagers, and adults every year. Last week, the Republican National Committee announced that they are considering pornography a national epidemic. Many people say porn is not a issue, but I disagree. Pornography is the silent killer of other human beings, our relationships with other people, and most importantly, our relationship with our Creator.

I hate porn and you should too.

1. The Porn Industry directly fuels sex trafficking.

The pornography industry is directly responsible for sex trafficking and other forms of sexual exploitation. According to Fight The New Drug, those who have watched a pornographic film in the past year are twice as likely to go to prostitutes. Pornography fuels the sex-trade demand by desensitizing those who watch porn regularly, which increases their tolerance for the sex-trafficking industry. Many people convicted of rape and other sexual crimes acknowledge that they are addicted to porn. Pornography exploits women and views them as objects rather than human beings, which leads to men exploiting women in real-life situations.

2. Pornography addictions destroy relationships.

Pornography deteriorates relationships with other people. After watching pornography, users have noted they feel lethargic and their relationships with the other sex are dramatically different. 56% of divorces are directly caused by one partner being incredibly addicted to porn. Pornography also leads to partners committing adultery.

Pornography directly fights the idea that all human beings have worth and value; an idea endowed by God. When users constantly fill their brains with pornographic images, their view of the other gender slowly turns them from a human to simply a sex-object. This leads to users not having the ability to maintain relationships with the other gender.

3. Pornography addictions pull us away from our Creator.

Most importantly, pornography is the silent killer of our relationship with our Creator. The Bible says that all our sin must be brought into the light. Yet, pornography is one of the hardest subjects to speak about in public, especially to those in leadership. Along with all the harmful effects, pornography brings an immense amount of shame on the user. This shame leads users to keep their addiction secret, which means the addiction has the ability to grow worse. Addicts must bring their addiction into the light; that is where the healing and rehab begins.

It's simple: pornography destroys lives. I was a statistic.

My porn addiction ripped me away from my Creator. Throughout my years of addiction, I watched my relationship with Jesus slowly disappear. I couldn't go a day without having horrible thoughts. I stopped reading my Bible, worshipping, and had no desire to repair my relationship with God. My addiction led to depression and completely peverted my mind. My relationships with other people were dramatically affected, I always wanted to be alone, I missed out on opportunities to lead in church, and my passion for life was destroyed. All this was due to a secret addiction to pornography. But, Jesus.

Like rehabbing from other drugs, it was a painful experience. I deleted the internet from my phone. I wouldn't surf the internet past a certain time. The most effective remedy though was that I read my Bible every night. Psalms 119:9 says, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word."

It wasn't easy. I'd have to fight against my habits and pray every night that I wouldn't fall to the temptation. This wasn't a quick fix. It took months of rehabbing and constantly fighting. There were times I'd fall, but I had to pick myself back up. But, after years of fighting, I was finally free from pornography.

Today, by the grace of God, I can say I am free from the most harmful drug I've ever experienced. Life without pornography is freeing and joyful. I no longer suffer from depression, I'm not lethargic, and I have goals and plans for my future. Life without pornography has also brought me back to my Savior.

If you're addicted to pornography, bring your addiction to the light. Find an accountability partner. Find a pastor. Find a friend and talk to them. Our fights against sin were not meant to be fought alone, especially against pornography. Don't be a statistic.

Fight on.