If you have spent time counseling men in the areas of purity and pornography, you have probably, like me, struggled to find a resource that is biblical, straightforward, pastoral, and pure itself. In my opinion, Heath Lambert has written such a book, titled Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace (Zondervan, 2013). This book is designed as a resource both for those fighting against the sin of viewing pornography and for those helping those who are.
I recently read through the book while preparing for a retreat, and found it to be extremely practical. Lambert has served as a pastor and now as a teacher, and is also the Executive Director of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (formerly NANC–which, in my view, bodes well for this organization). Lambert is biblical, pastoral, hopeful, and straightforward in his counsel.
Here are a few quotes I highlighted from the Kindle edition I purchased to get you started:
- “Jesus’ grace to change you is stronger than pornography’s power to destroy you” (28).
- “Godly sorrow feels the horror of disobedience and weeps over the reality of a heart that chose transgression over faithfulness” (38).
- “Employing radical measures is the path to life, while indulging sin is the path to hell. God does not forbid sexual immorality because he wants you to be miserable ; God forbids it because sexual immorality leads to brokenness, sadness, emptiness, death, and hell ” (62).
- “The great call of your life is to be holy, as Jesus is holy. Pornography stands firmly opposed to that call. You must run from it and toward Christ” (154).
Lambert outlines through the chapters an eight-pronged approach to a grace-founded fight against pornography. Also, there is an appendix that provides practical counsel for those hurt by another’s struggle that I found to be valuable as well. If you are a pastor, you will want to get a copy of this as a resource for yourself and others.
