The Spiritual Battle of Manhood: Porn
Men, we are in a war—a spiritual war that’s been raging since the dawn of time. It’s not fought with fists or weapons but in the unseen realms of the heart, mind, and spirit. The enemy isn’t flesh and blood; it’s a sinister force that seeks to rob you of your power, your purpose, and your precious life. I’ve seen it too many times: good men—strong men—brought low by a seductive spirit that reduces them to a piece of bread. That spirit has a name: Ishtar. She’s the demon goddess behind pornography, prostitution, and the devaluing of authentic manhood. And she’s hunting you.
In my book, Bedding Ishtar, I unpack this spiritual battle with a clarity that’s taken me twelve years to refine. I’ve wept with men who’ve fallen into her snare—men who loved God, adored their wives, and cherished their children, yet found themselves ensnared by her seduction. These weren’t weak men. As Proverbs 7:26 warns, “For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.” Ishtar doesn’t just prey on the broken; she hunts the trophies—the strong, the influential, the anointed. Think of Samson, a man of supernatural strength, undone by a prostitute’s allure. Or David, a warrior king after God’s own heart, whose footnote reads, “except in the case of Uriah the Hittite” (1 Kings 15:5). Strong men fall because this isn’t a battle of willpower—it’s a spiritual assault.
Who Is Ishtar?
Ishtar isn’t a woman; she’s a spirit—a demon with a deep contempt for manhood. She’s the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility, known by many names: Inanna, Ashtar, Aphrodite. Her cult temples were brothels where men communed with her through sexual rites, not just with the physical priests or priestesses, but with the spirit herself. She’s unbridled, non-binary, and emasculating. An ancient inscription declares her desire: “My Ishtar, Mistress of battle and conflict, turn his masculinity into femininity.” She wants your power, your influence, your manhood. She wants you impotent, mocked, and reduced to nothing.
You see her fingerprints everywhere today—in entertainment, social media, politics, and even education. She’s in the drag queens dancing at “family-friendly” events, the pop songs declaring “I am not a woman, I’m a god,” and the cultural push to confuse gender and identity. She’s behind the pixels of pornography that entice men to risk everything—marriage, dignity, children—for a fleeting fantasy. Proverbs 6:26 says it plainly: “For on account of a harlot, a man is brought to a piece of bread, and the adulteress stalks and snares the precious life of a man.” She’s not after your affection; she’s after your destruction.
Porn Is Sex with a Demon
Let’s be direct: pornography isn’t a “manageable vice.” It’s sex with a demon. When you gaze at those images, you’re not just lusting after pixels—you’re communing with Ishtar. Jesus made it clear in Matthew 5:27-28: “Everyone who so much as looks at a woman with evil desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” That adultery becomes idolatry when it’s imagined, a channeling of spirits through the teraphim—ancient idols now replaced by digital screens. As 1 Corinthians 6:16 warns, “Don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her?” When a believer mingles the Holy Spirit within him with the profane spirit of Ishtar, it’s a spiritual violation God forbids.
I’ve heard the stories—men visiting brothels and seeing darkness pour from a woman’s mouth, flies swarming as if from a pit. One man fled in terror, repenting after realizing he’d encountered something demonic. Another traced his fall to a sexless marriage and a drift from God. These aren’t isolated incidents; they’re evidence of a pattern. Ishtar uses alcohol, drugs, and unmet desires to sedate and entrap. She’s the seductress in Proverbs 7, luring a naive young man with perfumed sheets and promises of love, only to lead him “down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead” (Proverbs 2:18).
The Failure of Accountability
For years, men’s ministries have pushed “accountability” as the solution—confess to a brother, let him hold you to a standard. I tried it. It doesn’t work. Men lie. They ghost you. I’ve had men ask me to hold them accountable for porn addiction, only to block my number after two calls. Why? Shame. Accountability puts one man in a dominating position over another, which isn’t biblical. God gave us dominion over the earth, not each other (Isaiah 26:13). It turns peers into judges, emasculating the one “held accountable” and driving him to hide.
What works isn’t accountability—it’s agreement. Matthew 18:19 says, “If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you.” I can’t police your righteousness, but I can walk with you toward your destiny. I can say, “You’re a champion. You’re strong enough to resist. No weapon forged against you will succeed.” That’s the encouragement Hebrews 3:13 calls for: “Encourage one another daily… so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
Victory Through a Renewed Heart
Defeating Ishtar isn’t about discipline alone; it’s about deliverance. It is not restoration, it is resurrection. It starts with your heart—the seat of purpose, appetites, passions, and courage. Job knew this: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman” (Job 31:1). He understood that his eyes would lead his heart, affecting his soul and spirit. David, after his fall, cried, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). You can’t win this battle in your own strength; it’s a spiritual fight against “cosmic powers over this present darkness” (Ephesians 6:12). But you can win by aligning your heart with God’s purpose for you.
Say it out loud: “I will not bed Ishtar.” Repeat it louder: “I WILL NOT BED ISHTAR!” Let it sink in—you’re not just rejecting a habit; you’re renouncing a demon. Go to Jesus, your High Priest, and confess. He alone can cleanse you. Then stir up the gift within you (2 Timothy 1:6), fuel your passions for your God-given purpose, and stand as the strong man Satan can’t bind (Matthew 12:29). You’re intended for the heavens, not the dust (1 Corinthians 15:49). Act like it.
Take the 45-Day Challenge
Men, this isn’t a theoretical fight—it’s personal, and it’s now. I’ve poured my heart into Bedding Ishtar and the FivestarMan movement to equip you for victory. That’s why I’m challenging you to take the 45-Day Challenge at FivestarMan.com. It’s a practical, daily step to reclaim your authentic manhood—mind, body, and spirit. Sign up for The Daily Champion devotional, join our livestreams, and walk in agreement with men who’ll lift you up, not tear you down. Start today. Be strong. Act like a man. Your destiny—and the precious lives you protect—depend on it.
