Fortify Program

Most guys struggle with sexual temptation. Those who are wise develop strategies to deal with these temptations. As one author says, “Don’t ask, ‘Do you struggle with sexual integrity?’ Ask, ‘How do you struggle with sexual integrity?’”

I’m convinced that we need a toolkit to maintain our sexual integrity. We must learn to deal with underlying issues that make us vulnerable to temptation. We must use the beauty of Jesus and his gospel as an expulsive power that makes sin unimaginable. We must also use confession, community, and accountability properly. None of these strategies works alone. We need to work all of them together.

I’ve recently come across a tool that I’ve found helpful. You may find it helpful too.

About Fortify

Fortify is designed to help individuals (particularly young people) struggling with pornography eventually reach long-lasting freedom. It provides tools, education, and resources necessary to help you and those you love. It was developed by a team of professionals including psychologists, neurologists, therapists and other mental health experts.

Fortify is run by Fight the New Drug, a grassroots, youth-oriented, non-religious, non-legislative, non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness on the harmful effects of pornography.

One of the things I love about Fortify is that it’s free for teens. It’s a $39 one-time charge for adults for the current version.

What It Is

The Fortify Program should take an individual anywhere from 2 to 5 months to complete. They provide 50 Educational Videos, a personalized battle strategy, and a personal vulnerability test. You can access it on any advice. It includes gamification features like badges and coins.

Two of the features I appreciate the most are the personal battle tracker calendar and the accountability.

When you log in, you’re given a tracker that looks like this:

Each day you record Victory or Setback. It’s a binary choice, which I like. They don’t leave much room for middle ground. The tracker helps you identify patterns. It’s also motivating as the days accumulate.

You can choose accountability partners, and they’ll get email updates of your battle tracker. It’s a great tool that goes beyond filtering. It’s helpful to know that others are tracking with you, and that you’ll have to share your victories and setbacks with others.

What It Isn’t

Fortify isn’t Internet filtering software. As far as I can tell, it’s not Christian. It doesn’t apply the power of the gospel to sexual temptation or addiction. It does contain a lot of valuable information and techniques, though, that you may find helpful.

Get It

If you struggle with sexual temptation, I can’t think of many reasons not to use Fortify. It’s affordable. The videos are useful. I find the battle tracker and accountability tools to be motivating and helpful.

Get it for yourself, but if you have teens in your life, encourage them to get it too. The free price is hard to beat.

There’s no one strategy for dealing with sexual temptation, but tools like Fortify can help us think differently and get the accountability and support we need.

Find out more at fortifyprogram.org.