Elephants are some of the most intelligent creatures God has graced on the planet.
Boasting an unusually large brain, strong cortical structures within that large brain, and a well-developed hippocampus (the part of your brain that is responsible for memory), elephants have remarkable cognitive capacities.
In the world of neuroscience, elephants have become renowned for having very good memory – they can recall previous injuries/points of pain, and have even been shown to hold grudges!
Absolutely remarkable if you ask me.
Elephants aren’t the only creature in the animal kingdom that we can learn from…
Goldfish are known for having horrible memories - with some studies showing a memory span of less than 10 seconds!
While the concept has become exaggerated over the years (the memory span of a goldfish can be months and years depending on the situation), there is a lesson here for us as well.
Steph Curry is known to be greatest shooter of all-time in the...
I am amazed at how quickly we are to blame the devil for our own issues sometimes.
Recovery is hard work - there are highs and there are lows.
The road to full freedom (and sustaining it afterwards) is marked with temptation.
Some of my greatest breakthroughs came because I persevered. And some of yours will come that way too.
While it is easy to simply rebuke a temptation or blame Satan, it may not be your best option in every situation.
Take Jesus as an example. After fasting for 40 days, he’s tempted by the enemy to turn stones into bread.
Jesus didn’t rebuke the devil and he was literally right in front of him!
Instead, he kept his cool, and used the TRUTH to fight the temptation and move forward.
He was tempted two more times, on one of those occasions he did actually rebuke the devil (his words in the NKJV were “get behind me Satan”).
…But he didn’t rebuke the temptation. Warding off the attacks of the enemy is part of this, but it’s...
Without a shadow of a doubt, the greatest cause of misbehavior (sexual or otherwise) in our society today is stress.
The reality is that we deal with unprecedented levels of stress in our society.
Between work, relationships, paying bills, pandemics, recessions, and doing our best to live by Biblical standards in a world that mocks the idea, there are plenty of stressors to be experienced on the daily.
Admittedly – I am still figuring out how to navigate this. I often find myself every few months needing a few days to unwind and unplug.
At the time of writing this, my wife and I just returned from a fantastic getaway for a few nights. We hung out at the beach, soaked in some sun, kayaked, had long chats, and laughed a ton.
Suddenly in a matter of a couple days, my marriage feels vibrant, I feel excited about the future, and life feels settled again.
The stressors haven’t gone anywhere, and I am working hard to do a better job at managing them (and taking fewer...
Recovery does not have to be a long, drawn out process. It is really a matter of finding the FEW things that work and going ALL IN on them. These few things will vary from person to person, but I guarantee that they will include these three things I'm about to share.
My aim with DeepClean (our system for helping guys resolve the root issues of porn), Unleash The Man Within (our daily podcast that reaches thousands around the world every week), and my bestselling book The Last Relapse (which has been featured on national television and endorsed by some of the world's leading experts in porn addiction), is to help you AVOID the rookie mistakes I made so that you can essentially hit the "recovery fast-track" asap.
We teach our men to do these three regularly and we literally watch their lives change before our very eyes.
1) Find Someone You Can OPENLY Share With On A Regular Basis. We call this a "spotter". NOT an accountability partner. We're interested in forming meaningful...
When I used to watch porn, I remember feeling jealous of the men in the videos. They got paid to have sex with attractive women regularly... they were "living the dream". And the girls always seemed so happy in the videos – I figured they had great lives too. Having friended two former porn stars the last couple of years, I've discovered just how mistaken I really was.
Brittni De La Mora was one of the top-ranked adult actresses in the world. Her videos literally had millions of views. She wasn't just a porn actress, she was a star. Brittni explained to me that between the lying, manipulation, and coercion - the porn industry slowly eats away at your soul.
She was more or less tricked into performing in her first video - a VERY common story in the porn industry. But after that first video, she stuck around... why?
Between the money, attention, and grandiose promises, you feel like there are no other options to make a living. Everyone outside of porn will see you as...
I had the privilege of sharing the DeepClean method recently to by far the largest audience I’ve spoken to in-person recently (just under 2k people).
It has been pretty amazing to see how deeply the message is resonating with people around the world.
Sure I can talk about my method here in my own newsletter, on my own podcast, or on my Instagram page.
But it’s another thing when you show up on someone else’s platform and see that your message still hits home.
My point that morning was simple…
Jesus is coming back for a spotless bride. One without blemish.
-35% of all internet downloads are porn.
-The porn industry amasses roughly 100B annually.
-Women are struggling almost just as much as men are.
-By the time someone is 18 there’s a 93% chance they’ll have watched porn multiple times.
-Porn increases the divorce rate by 56%
And none of these stats change significantly if you were to examine Christians alone. We have some work to do!
You’re...
If you're reading this, it's because you have probably tried A BUNCH of recovery solutions already.
Maybe some have helped a bit. Others probably have not. And it leaves you wondering...
"Will anything actually work for ME?"
How do I know?
Because I was there. I am not afraid to try new things, and my recovery journey was no exception. I am naturally optimistic, positive, and hopeful. So I tried reaching out to trusted friends, setting up accountability systems, using an internet filter, upping my spiritual disciplines, etc. But I started to have my doubts when so many mainstream solutions failed to help me achieve lasting freedom.
There's good news though...
-I have been clean 6.5 years (if I can do it you can too)
-We see 100s of men recovering on a regular basis (not just in my program but in many others as well)
-There are a few solutions that are making a MAJOR impact right now that you should be aware of
There is no cookie-cutter solution to recovery. Generally speaking, the...
Picture this.
I’m 25 years old, about to start my first full-time position as a pastor.
I’ve moved to a small farming community called Drayton.
The Senior Pastor who hired me helped me find a place to live - a 3 bedroom house that seemed to be the only rental available.
Two months in, I’m not sure if I can afford the rent.
So I got connected with a board member, Jim, who happened to run a very successful business. He takes about 15 minutes to sit down and crunch the numbers with me.
His conclusion?
“Yeah, you gotta move.”
I wasn’t particularly fazed by the news itself, but there was literally nowhere else that I knew of to rent out in this tiny village.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get the ladies talking.”
Within about an hour, his wife had made a few calls, and by the end of the week, Mike and Patty, a retired couple from the church, had agreed to let me move into their basement.
I went from paying about $750/month for rent to...
The 'bookends' of the day tend to be the most problematic when it comes to relapses. Whether it's morning glory or nighttime thunder, it is clear that if you can win the morning and the night, you will make huge steps towards lasting freedom.
But truthfully, the ultimate resolve of regular morning or nighttime relapses is encompassed in one word: Rhythm.
The rhythms (not routines) of our life dictate much of our behavior, whether we like it or not. Rhythms don't have to be rigid and rote, although for some that is probably a good approach. The key with rhythms is that they can be done consistently and allow room for flexibility when appropriate.
My morning rhythm is pretty simple Monday-Friday. I wake up, take a cold shower, go for a walk/talk to God, read the Bible or journal, and then spend about 90 minutes doing "deep work" on my business.
However, the last couple of weeks I have been feeling more fatigue physically and mentally. So I have been prioritizing sleep and that...
If I had a magic pill that could cure you of porn addiction forever, would you take it?
Why?
The truth is, most people don’t like change.
And even those who do still admit that with change comes fear, anxiety, and distress.
There are “normal” uncomfortable changes …
-Moving to a new city
-Starting a new job
-Pursuing a new relationship
Then there’s weird changes that are also uncomfortable, like quitting porn.
Believe it or not – it’s the #1 reason guys stay stuck or refuse help.
Because recovery is a HUGE change to their rhythms, lifestyle, and thinking patterns.
It doesn’t matter how positive the change may be…
If it’s uncomfortable, we will talk ourselves out of it. Or come up with an excuse.
Taking a pill bypasses the discomfort.
No shifts in mindset required.
No heart healing needed.
No hard work necessary.
But I have to be honest with you…
The process is the best part of recovery.
The growth, development and the...