There is a concept in business called the “Yes Ladder” that is commonly used to lure people in to increasingly greater commitments both financially and physically in the cyber dating and pornography industry.
These “brilliant” sales people study each click on the Web, knowing that if they can get a customer to concede to view, or say “yes” to a small area of this perversion it will ultimately lead to more “yes” responses down the road. People who regularly view pornography can be expected to move up the “Yes Ladder” until they are seeking out not only the fantasy of it, but real life experiences. If someone is willing to commit to an online “relationship” the chances are great that they will eventually escalate into the pricier, physical realm.
It’s all a numbers game, and the marketers behind this evil are no respecter of age or gender. Research estimates that children aged 12 to 17 are the largest group of Internet pornography consumers, not the stereotypical older or middle-aged men. The effort to make streaming porn not only accessible but free to anyone with an Internet connection is changing our society. It is the not-so-silent killer of childhood and normal teenage social interaction. The minds of our children are no longer viewed as a commodity to be protected and molded in Judeo-Christian values, but a product to be exploited to line the pockets of very rich men.
The “Yes Ladder” is a frightening principle. A single, small yes for many people leads to addiction and a corruption of the body that, without God’s intervention, may be a permanent perversion of their sexuality. Statistics are staggering. Sexual dysfunction among healthy young men due to pornography usage is baffling psychologists and the medical profession.
This battle will not go away. Satan needs only a small window to do his work. He only needs someone to acquiesce just a tiny bit until he has them on a “Yes Ladder” that will steal their joy, their victory and their peace. We must be willing to have difficult conversations, to provide sanctuary and help to those ensnared in this web of deceit. We must pray a hedge of protection around our families, our youth and ourselves least we be deceived in this evil day.
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).