Despite the fact that people across the world use porn on a daily basis, those who become addicted to it often feel alone in their compulsive porn use. At Covenant Eyes, we believe that one of the first steps to overcoming addiction is to recognize that you are not alone. And, we also believe that this recognition can be found through the life-changing power of sharing your story.
If you’re looking for encouragement in your journey to overcome porn (or just a reason to quit porn in the first place!), you’ll want to read these powerful stories from real-life heroes who stood up against porn and found freedom through recovery.
Liz Vogt
When Liz’s pastor asked her to record her testimony about her addiction to pornography, she feared what others would think of her. What were people going to say? How were they going to react? Much to her surprise, the feedback Liz received from her video was overwhelmingly positive, and she found immense relief in sharing her story with others. Today, Liz is freed from the bondage of porn, but each day is a renewed fight to remain pure.
Watch and/or read Liz’s testimony…
Dan Sheldon
Dan’s pornography addiction started with a Playboy magazine found under a bed. This one magazine snowballed into an addiction to hardcore pornography, which held Dan captive for many years. It was only when he finally told a friend about his addiction that Dan realized how desperately he needed help. Instead of watching porn, he began to focus on his relationship with God. He attributes his freedom to the one and only Jesus Christ!
David Heughins
When David Heughins became a born-again Christian at five years old, porn was the last thing on his mind. When David reached puberty, his imagination took up the enthralling subject of females. And because he was isolated and the girls he knew did not attend his church, they became a subject of sexual fantasy. After 50 years of fantasizing about women in his mind, David realized that he was an addict stuck in addiction. He started attending Celebrate Recovery at his church and could hear the chains breaking as he shared his addiction with other believers.
Joy Skarka
Joy grew up towards the end of the purity culture where churches and parents were just uncomfortable talking about sexuality except for the occasional, “just don’t do it,” message. Unfortunately, porn soon became Joy’s sex education and her comforter. For months, she lived in secrecy. Then, a woman at her church stood up and shared her porn addiction story, and Joy was convicted to stand up as well.
Kody and Ben
Kody and Ben have been friends for almost 10 years. They have what most would call a “normal” friendship—hanging out on the weekends, walking through life’s challenges together, and even working at the same company!
But, there’s one other thing about Kody and Ben’s friendship that you might not expect: they keep each other accountable when it comes to saying “no” to porn.
Read Kody and Ben’s freedom story…
John and Lucas Fort
John found freedom from pornography through accountability, but only after it had already robbed him of much of the happiness and self-respect he should have experienced as a teenager. So, when his son Lucas reached grade school, John knew that it was crucial that he and Lucas work together to fight porn and say “no” to temptation.
Read the Forts’ freedom story…
Eric Doerneman
Porn changed Eric’s life forever. It held his soul captive for over a decade, promising everything he felt he ever wanted, but always leaving him empty in its wake. It was a conversation with his sister that made Eric realize that he could only overcome pornography through knowing Christ. When he accepted himself as a sinner in need of a great Savior, Eric was able to defeat his porn addiction and follow Christ as the ultimate ally.
Noah Filipiak
Noah never intended to become addicted to porn. After all, he was a “good kid” who attended church and loved Jesus. Porn didn’t care, and Noah’s addiction to porn, though a private part of his life, took over. It wasn’t until college that Noah heard pornography addressed as a topic, and he finally felt like he could share his secret with others. Authentic community and vulnerability were what freed Noah from porn for the first time.
G
After experiencing repeated sexual abuse as a child, G became addicted to masturbation, and it consumed her entire world. This led to a steady decline in her mental health, which resulted in the loss of friendships, severe anxiety, and a move to another state, just to get away from life as she knew it. After 15 years of suffering, G found freedom through the help of a therapist and Covenant Eyes. Each day is still a battle for purity for G, but she knows that only Jesus can save her, and He has become her source of hope and healing.
Calum
Calum saw porn for the first time when performing an innocent Google search for a school choir project. Soon, porn became a daily ritual, and just like all drugs, Calum needed more and more of it to be satisfied. Worst of all, porn affected his relationship with God. It wasn’t until a high school relationship failed that Calum realized just how deep of a mess he was in.
Michael
“My porn addiction started when I discovered my dad’s stash when I was a kid. Back then nobody knew about the Internet, so when the magazines inexplicably disappeared, I was forced to quit. Then I went off to a Christian college with strict rules including expulsion for porn. For about a decade, I was porn-free due to accessibility issues, but I never really dealt with the heart issues, and I believed getting married would solve the problem.”
Unfortunately, it didn’t.
Jon
When Jon was 10, he saw porn for the first time. Though he’d heard of it before, he had never actually seen porn. To this day, he can remember exactly where he found it, exactly how it was folded, and sadly enough, he can remember the picture on the front in enough detail it makes his heart ache. It’s the damage of images that cannot be unseen.
Greg
Greg is no stranger to addiction. He grew up in a broken home that was marked by substance abuse and pornography, and this made a lasting impression on his life. Even though he turned his life over to God, Greg still trapped by pornography. He became a leader in his church while hiding this secret sin. Then one day he was discovered.
Read about the Best Day and Worst Day of Greg’s Life…
Want to encourage porn users in their fight to overcome porn? Comment below and let us know that you’d like to share your story of your journey to freedom. We can’t wait to hear from you!
