Consumed: The Movie

​Lying in bed in January of 2011, I spoke to God, asking Him what my next film should seek to conquer. What was next? Then I felt it land upon my heart. Pornography addiction. Interesting, I thought. I had never struggled with that. But I am living proof that God calls the willing, not necessarily the qualified.

​It was April of that year and I was wondering, "Where do I go with this?". What is at the heart of this infection? I called up the only source I knew: Focus on the Family. I talked with a nice lady who referred me to their website for some CD's from a previous broadcast. She also sent me in the direction of a list of websites. I did some internet searching and I came across message boards filled with people who were dealing with it or even overcame it. Stories were being discussed; their stories. Stories of lust, of trials, and of journeys.

​The next month sitting down to write a script to shoot during my upcoming time in Washington, DC, I developed a story about a couple of roommates; one of which steals porn from a suitemate and in the end has to return it. “Every opportunity is a ministry opportunity,” Luke tells him, as the scene fades. But then I ended up rewriting it a couple of months later, after God revealed He didn’t want it shot in DC.

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​Pornography addiction seems very common among men. We are visual creatures. We seek the enlightenment of the allure of visual images and at times, the not so enlightened. What appears like a mirage of a spring in the desert ends up as sand choking us on its way down. It keeps us up at all hours of the night. It can ruin our relationships and, according to 1 Corinthians 6:18, it can ruin our bodies. It looks innocent but becomes a disorder. After all, there is no order in it.

​Deciding that portraying some form of a female body, no matter how much could be blocked out, would be counterproductive to the encouraging message of the film, I was led to show only the other side of the computer. But to add that character of porn to the film, make it in the form of a voice. The seductive voice of the devil, himself: “Hey big boy, take a look. I’ll be here all day.”

​Filming was fun as I worked with two of my great friends, Micah Moore and Andrew Cacho. Neither one had professionally acted before; a motif in all of my films. Marissa Dodd, a former on-screen sister in a television show that fell through before shooting an episode, portrayed the Voice on the PC. The film was considered and denied acceptance to Sundance, but bowed to a standing room only audience in my hometown in January 2012. It has been shown a few times before and since, but February marks its online debut. It stands as a catalyst and opponent to the belief that “lust = love,” in a month dedicated to love. It stands as a bridge to those who say that their situation is too deep or impossible to cross. To recite to them 1 Peter 5:6-7: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you.”

Check out the video here "Consumed". 

Have you fought against this type of addiction?
Share a comment on how you overcame temptation below!

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Tyler lives in Durant, Oklahoma, where he enjoys making independent films. 

He spends his time with friends and thinking of new film ideas. 

Be sure to check out his other short films and follow him on Twitter!

The Battle for our Desire

Let's not avoid the fact right off the start that the word "desire" is not commonly used in today's culture. But in all honestly the idea needs to be addressed badly.

Let's start things out with a simple game of decision. Imagine standing in front of a table. The table is clear and the man standing beside it has two objects of desire in his hands. On one side of the table he puts down a "Gentleman's Magazine" and on the other side of the table he puts down a Bible. After a few moments, the man asks you to point to your idea of desire. I haven't been able to make a case study of this scenario, but I would think most men would point to the gentlemen's magazine. 

Would we even consider the Bible and its teachings a thing to desire? Culture has brainwashed men to have a certain idea or belief of what desire looks like and it has nothing to do with the Bible. But why would we consider a woman hardly dressed desire? Well, quite frankly, because it's easy. We are simply not in control of what our desire should be in our life. We grab the easily accessible magazine off the rack. We watch the video that the popular guy is showing to everybody. And when we're alone, our self control goes out the door suddenly. We are easily swayed, we know it and we're doing nothing about it. Well gentlemen, it's time to make some changes!

1) STOP!

That's right, stop. Stop falling victim to what the culture says is desire and start asking God what desire is and what it should look like in your life. Stop taking the "easy" route in your life when it comes to the magazines, videos and the people that expose you to those things. Stop thinking you don't have a choice in the matter and choose to make the right decision! Because you always have a choice. 

2) Fill the Gap

So you've stopped? Now you need to come up with a plan; in other words you need to fill the gap. What are you going to do the next time you encounter the dirty magazine, the crude jokes at work or the hot woman walking past you in the store? Don't wait for it to happen, come up with a plan to defeat it! When I was trying to discover the true desire in my life, I decided to read a book titled "Wild at Heart". I hated reading at the time, but I had to fill the gap. I would get out of work early and just sit in my car and read. I would read until I knew I would get home at the same time as my wife. I had to fill the gap, and remove the option.

3) Pray

I don't recall ever saying this process would be easy, but I can assure you it will be beyond fulfilling and life changing. If you were never much for prayer, this would be the time to change that and start praying often. Your desire should be to stop the old habits, to form new Godly habits, and seek God in a whole new way. God is always there to help us and guide us, we just have to give him the opportunity. Make his teachings and his lifestyle your new desire and watch him go to work in your life!

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Your challenge: Read Mathew 5:27-30 

As men, we are all victim to the temptations that the world has to offer. But we have to be stronger and rise above the world and its lies. Share your story or thoughts below of how you overcame false desires and found true desire in Christ! 
Show other men that real change is possible!