Why Porn Won't Be Enough During this Pandemic

This title probably brought mixed feelings for you, especially if you're struggling with pornography. Before this post begins, I want you to know that God is not ashamed of you. He loves you.

You may wonder how could I assume that if you've opened this blog that you have at some point, or are currently, struggling with pornography?

Well, the number one porn site in the world reported that they had over 42 billion visits this year, averaging 115 million per day. That statistic alone is overwhelming. The Freedom Fight surveyed 1,200 Christian college students and found that 9 out of 10 men watch porn regularly (60% weekly/40% monthly), and it's not just men. This is also true for half of the Christian female students surveyed.

Since the beginning of the pandemic of CO-VID 19, I knew that this would be a perfect storm for college students who are trying to escape this prison of pornography. Isolation and anxiety are the biggest triggers for running to pornography. Now, more than ever, we are all longing to find connection and satisfaction. The problem is, we are in what feels like a relational desert with no hope of water.

Each of us longs to be fully known and fully loved. This is a good and God-given longing.


Every fiber of your being was made to enjoy a relationship with God. The problem is that we often try to meet this good desire by going to something that will not fulfill the deeper longings of our heart. Porn, while it promises fulfillment and connection, is not the answer to your longing. It is a "broken cistern" as the prophet Jeremiah tells Israel:


Even though the women and men in pornographic videos are communicating "I want you...I love you" (which is music to our ears), in reality, they are speaking to a camera and to an audience of billions. You and I long for authentic intimacy and connection, not this. It's a broken cistern, never actually giving you water, but guilt and shame. Porn is simply not enough!

If you are like most Christians pursuing freedom from porn, you have made vows that you will "never do this again". Yet, over and over again you have returned to the dry and broken cistern of porn only to feel overwhelming amounts of shame and guilt. After 10 years of counseling and discipling students, and being freed from the prison of porn myself, here is my answer to "I have blown it, now what?"

When we first found out that we were about to be required to quarantine and stay home during this pandemic, we began preparing for what was to come: we went out and bought groceries (and toilet paper).