You don’t need to read anything apart from the Word of God to find freedom from pornography addiction. That being said, these books have been very helpful for me in my journey to finding freedom in Christ. None of these books will give you a list of more things you need to do, nor will they tell you how you should try harder to change yourself. You probably know by now that stuff won’t work anyway.
The Bondage Breaker, Neil Anderson
The is the book that started my journey to freedom in Christ. It will open your eyes to who you are in Christ, the reality of spiritual warfare, and how Christ sets you free from the bondage in your life.
The Cure, John Lynch, Bruce McNicol, Bill Thrall
This book has changed my life more than any other. It’s as if the authors took everything God had taught me over my journey to freedom and put into one book in an easy-to-follow and understand format.
Check out my review of The Cure here.
Wild at Heart, John Eldredge
God has put core desires into the heart of every man and Wild at Heart will help you discover and understand them. If you want to know what true biblical masculinity looks like, this is the book for you.
Beautiful Outlaw, John Eldredge
Who was Jesus? What was He like? What was His personality like? This in-depth look at Jesus will challenge your view of who He is and what you envision Him to be like.
Desire, John Eldredge
You can ignore your desires—which will only bury them alive—causing them to show up as cheap, life-destroying substitutes (pornography, alcohol, anger, etc.), or you can live your life in direct pursuit of the deep desires within your heart that come from God. When you start to understand who God truly is, your desires will automatically shift away from sin and addiction and move towards Him.
Classic Christianity, Bob George
Can I lose my salvation? Do I need to ask forgiveness every time I sin? Can I ever be good enough to get into Heaven? These are questions that can lead to either freedom or bondage depending on what you believe about them. Classic Christianity will help you find the answers to these questions in the Bible.
Surfing for God, Michael John Cusick
Michael John Cusick’s insights help readers understand how porn struggles begin, what to do to prevent them, and most importantly, how to overcome the compulsion once it begins. In the end, this powerful book shows us all how the barrier built by porn addiction can become a bridge to abundant life.
Check out my review of Surfing for God here.
The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning
Brennan Manning helps you realize that God loves you just as you are, and not as you “should” be, because He knows you will never be as you “should” be until you get to Heaven.
Sex God, Rob Bell
I highly recommend Sex God to anyone who is trying to develop a deeper understanding of the connection between their spirituality and their sexuality. When my daughter is older and our discussions about sexuality become deeper, this is the book I will recommend to her. It’s that good.
Check out my review of Sex God here.
10 Lies Men Believe about Porn, Stephen Kuhn
Yes, this is my book. But I shamelessly recommend it to you because I strongly believe the message I share throughout it. If you are looking for one single book to help you understand and experience God’s path to freedom from pornography, this is the book for you.
If this list went up to 11, it’d have to feature something by Tullian Tchivijian – if you haven’t read his stuff (like One-Way Love) you’d love it. The themes present in his writing and sermons are so often conspicuously missing from McChristianity, but are found in abundance in 10 Lies, so you might want to check it out.
Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll check out his writing.
I notice “Every Man’s Battle” didn’t make the list.
I’m curious as to why … wasn’t it a major “hit”?
Yes, Every Man’s Battle was a major hit, but I based this list more on what has been helpful in my journey rather than book sales alone. I heard an interview with the author of Every Man’s Battle where he stated his book was not really for men who are full-on addicted to porn, it was written for men who are merely tempted by it. It’s a great encouragement to help those men remain pure, but for an addict it can feed their shame cycle and increase their feelings of not being good enough (which isn’t a commentary on the book, that is purely the result of their distorted view of themselves and the lens they are reading it through).
Thanks so much Stephen.