We got married young and it felt like we were launching out of a starting gate with other couples we knew who got married around the same time. As the years have gone by, one of the hardest things to hear is when one of the couples we care about has fallen to sexual sin and some have even chosen to get a divorce.

It’s a sad reality that many marriage partners struggle against the pull of pornography. This sin is wreaking havoc on the trust and intimacy of the marriage relationship. Based on statistics, it’s a sure thing that some couples listening here or sitting next to us in church are walking wounded because of this sin that is damaging their marriage.

That’s why we are so grateful to have Dannah Gresh join us for this episode. She shares her own story of heartbreak and marriage in her book, Happily Even After. Dannah is the co-host of the Revive Our Hearts podcast, a speaker, a best-selling author, and a wife who has experienced the power of God to redeem her marriage.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The physical and neurochemical impacts of pornography
• Why this is not an issue exclusive to men
• Hope for healing and redemption
• And more!

We hope you enjoy this conversation!

Links:

• [BOOK] Happily Even After: Let God Redeem Your Marriage
• Happily Even After Podcast
• Connect with Dannah on Instagram, Facebook, or her website

Our Takeaways:

1) Pornography changes your brain. Research shows that a brain that is addicted to pornography is similar to a heroin-addicted brain. It impacts our brain chemistry and can be damaging to our thinking. While pornography may feel good at the moment, it can have long-term damaging effects on your thinking. (Not to mention the damage it can do to your relationship.)

2) Get support from others. Pornography has the power to isolate us and many couples try to deal with it on their own. This only serves to isolate us further and make us more vulnerable. We need the help of others to overcome and bring about healing. This may look like biblical care, counseling, therapy, accountability, prayer, and more! We also highly recommend taking advantage of a weekend intensive with a qualified coach, counselor, or therapist. It provides a much more in-depth experience to give concentrated care.

3) Establish healthy boundaries for your marriage. You need to do this with the help of a counselor or therapist. This might look similar to what Dannah Gresh shared like having a policy where your spouse has to tell you within 24 hours of using porn and if they don’t then they move out. In order for this to be effective, your spouse needs to be in agreement with these boundaries and their goal needs to also be to bring about healing.

Meet Our Guest