Heart of Dating is excited to welcome back Jonathan (JP) Pokluda to the show! He is the lead pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, TX and hosts the podcast Becoming Something. Previously, he was the leader of The Porch and teaching pastor of Watermark Community Church, both in Dallas, TX. Under his leadership, The Porch grew to be the largest young adult ministry of its kind in the world.

JP came to understand the grace of the gospel in his early twenties after being involved in different denominational churches his entire life. This ignited a desire in him to inspire young adults to radically follow Jesus Christ and unleash them to change the world. Most recently, he has seen this passion expressed through writing. His bestselling book, Welcome to Adulting, offers Millennials a roadmap to navigate faith, finances, friendships, and the future. His most recent book release, Welcome to Adulting Survival Guide, is a 42-day guide dedicated to those in their 20s and 30s. He’s also recently released his new book “Welcome to the Future Church”. 

JP's partner in ministry is Monica, his wife of fifteen years, and together they disciple their children Presley, Finley, and Weston.

On todays episode, JP talks about how we can combat online tempattions and pornography as we face self-isolation, quarantine, and social distancing in this time in history facing the COVID-19 outbreak.  He talks about his own struggles as well as practical ways to fight this addiction. 

Right now facing social distancing, there’s an increase in temptation in media and pornography. Could you share some of your journey and how you would suggest we combat this today?

• JP talks about how he was raised in the church, but when he went to college he became tempted and addicted to pornography.
• He shares the severity of his addiction that drove him to go to strip clubs and even call out of work to binge watch it.
• During the COVID-19 outbreak, PornHub is unfortunately reaching record views in this time as many people face isolation.
• Even if you’re single, it’s important to rid of porn in life because “Porn seeks to hurt your marriage long before it ever exists”
• Porn is not just a mans problem as 1 in 3 viewers of pornography are female. 

How do we start resisting these temptations right now?

• The worst thing you can do as someone who struggles is not talk about it. 
• An addition to porn is not an addiction to sex. Pornography actually inhibits true intimacy. An addition to porn is an addiction to variety.
• God invented sex, so He’s not ashamed of sex, but He knows what is good and what is bad for us.
• When one experiences an orgasm, they experience a chemical reaction that bonds them. Orgasm is more than just a physical act, it’s an emotional one.

How do you recover if you’re addicted to porn? 

• CPR: Confess, Pray, and Remove Access
• Back up confession at the thought level! Don’t confess after you look at porn, but confess every time you want to. 
• Be constant in prayer for help in healing.
• Audit your life and remove the way you’re watching pornography. If it's removing access to a computer or a smartphone, then do that!
• Do whatever it takes to avoid lust.
• Seek Christ, Pursue a Spouse and healing, and Repent. 
• Ultimately, seek help and accountability. Don’t let the shame of the addiction hold you back from seeking help. 

What is your final nugget of dating advice?

• Look up Isaiah 40. God has not forgotten you. He has a plan for you and you can trust Him. 
• If you struggle with pornography, you can find healing in Christ. It’s not impossible to overcome it.

Other Resources:

Follow JP on Instagram @jpokluda

Follow Harris Creek on @harriscreek

Follow The Porch on Instagram @theporch

Get his book, Welcome to Adulting

Get his book, Welcoming the Future Church