“What’s the one piece of advice you would give
to someone struggling with porn addiction?”
Jonathan Daugherty is the director of Be Broken Ministries, founder of the Gateway to Freedom recovery workshops, and host of the Pure Sex Radio weekly broadcast.
He has also authored several books including:
Connect with Jonathan
Facebook: facebook.com/bebrokenministries
Twitter: @bebroken
Check out all the “One Thing” video interviews here.
Transcript:
Steve: Hey guys! Steve Kuhn here with Belt of Truth Ministries. I’ve got Jonathan Daugherty on the line. Jonathan is the founder and director of Be Broken Ministries, and he’s the author of multiple books, including Grace-Based Recovery. Jonathan, thanks for hopping on the line here. I’ll go ahead and ask you the question we’ve been asking everyone: What’s the one piece of advice that you would give you to somebody struggling with pornography addiction?
Jonathan: Well it’s a good question. It’s hard to answer in terms of just one piece. What I’d like to do is give the one piece that has a few little sub-pieces to it because to me the one piece that I think people need to hear is that you are worth recovery. Sometimes it’s real easy to get so bogged down in the shame of whatever you’re involved in, with pornography and all other kinds of sexually addictive behaviors, that it’s real easy to lose sight of your worth and not that you just have worth, but that you’re actually worth recovery, because some people feel like “I’m too far gone. I’ve done too much. There’s no way that I’m of any use or any good after all the things that I’ve done.” And kind of within that idea of you being worth recovery is this idea that you’re not alone. That’s a huge part of realizing. When you start accepting the fact that you are worth recovery, you realize that there’s a whole community of people that are also realizing the same thing and that you can get in there and you don’t have to be alone, you don’t have to keep fighting this thing alone, and that it actually matters that your story be told because I think a lot of people don’t have enough…there aren’t enough environments, I should put it that way, where people feel safe enough to tell their story. And I’m here to tell you there are environments out there and we’re here to help you find those environments because you need to tell your story, the full story. Not the story that you pretty up, your Sunday school answer, but like your full story. And then finally we really believe that this journey of understanding your worth and this journey of transformation and recovery, really only happens through the avenue of grace, that it’s through just this unmerited kindness of God that He says “did you know I already know everything that you’ve ever done and I love you anyway and I have a better way for you to live.” We believe that grace is the avenue that you’re going to discover what it’s like to be free and to be new and then I think on that journey you’re going to actually start to embrace and realize “you know what, I can actually start to see myself the way God sees me, as somebody that’s actually worthy of recovery.” And folks when that stars happening, watch out because you’re going to start fulfilling purpose and start doing things that have eternal significance, much farther beyond just the idea of “I’m not acting out anymore.”
The bottom line is I just want the viewers to know that if you are drowning in an addiction, if you are struggling with pornography, that I want this seed to be planted in your mind, that you are worth recovery. You’re worth restoration. You’re worth being part of a community where you can share your full story and find the freedom that your heart’s been longing for for a long time.
Steve: That’s great stuff. Thanks for sharing that. Jonathan, while you’re here, why don’t you just let people know where they can find you online.
Jonathan: If you just go to bebroken.com. We’ve got all kinds of resources for helping people find groups, counselors, all other kinds of books, workbooks. We’ve got programs for people to get plugged into workshops, coaching, all kinds of things to just help people who are struggling with a sexual addiction to find help, so bebroken.com is where they can get all that information.
Steve: Great! Well thanks again for your time and for sharing those words of wisdom with us and God bless you.
Jonathan: Thank you, Steve.
Steve: Ok, bye.
