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Welcome to episode #264! ️ Pure Victory Podcast: Tough Topic Series- Should I Tell Them? Navigating Porn Use in Dating

This week kicks off a brand-new Tough Topics series, diving into real, honest questions around porn recovery and relationships. Today’s conversation tackles a big one: Should you tell someone you’re dating about your porn use?

The answer isn’t just yes or no—it depends on where you’re at in your journey. This episode walks through how to assess your readiness for dating, why secrecy destroys intimacy, and how to approach disclosure with wisdom, honesty, and courage. If you’re navigating dating while pursuing freedom, this is a must-listen.

Key Takeaways

• Start with honesty about your own journey – Are you actively pursuing healing, or trying to manage things alone? 
• If you’re not getting help, dating may need to wait – Hidden struggles eventually surface and can deeply hurt others. 
• Healing requires exposure, not secrecy – Freedom grows in community, accountability, and honesty. 
• Don’t overshare too early—but don’t wait too long – The goal is timely, thoughtful disclosure. 
• Take responsibility, not just intention – Share from a place of action and growth, not vague promises. 
• You don’t decide readiness alone – Invite wisdom from mentors, counselors, or trusted community. 
• A relationship won’t fix your struggle – Healing starts with God, not a partner. 

Scriptural Highlight

1 John 1:7 – “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another…”

Living in the light—through honesty and openness—creates the foundation for real connection. Secrecy leads to distance, but truth invites intimacy and healing.

Action Steps

• Do a personal check-in:
  Ask yourself honestly—am I pursuing real healing, or hiding and managing? 
• Build your support system:
  If you’re not already, step into accountability through a group, mentor, or counselor. 
• Seek wise counsel:
  Talk to trusted people in your life about whether you’re ready to date. 
• Plan your disclosure:
  Think through how you can share your story simply, honestly, and responsibly. 
• Choose courage over comfort:
  If you’re currently hiding this in a relationship, take a step toward honesty this week. 
• Focus on healing first:
  Prioritize becoming whole in Christ before expecting a relationship to fill that space. 

Closing Thought

The healthiest relationships aren’t built on perfection—they’re built on truth.
When you choose honesty and pursue healing, you’re not just protecting yourself—you’re honoring the person you hope to build a future with.

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Resources

Dr. Danny Huerta and Rebecca St. James discuss the challenges and philosophies of faith-based parenting. Dr. Juan and Janine Sanchez share insights and emphasize the importance of shepherding a child's heart, setting positive biblical instructions, and maintaining a home of repentance. The Sanchez's advise on dealing with discipline, boundary setting, and building strong relationships with children of all ages. They also highlight the necessity of prayer, Godly examples, and church community support. We also answer a question about boundary setting with children in a loving but authoritative way.

Reaching Your Child's Heart

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If you enjoyed listening to Practice Makes Parent with Dr. Danny Huerta and Rebecca St. James, please give us your feedback. 

On the night of his arrest, Jesus did something no one expected — he knelt down and washed his disciples' feet, including the feet of the man who would betray him. In this episode, Dr. John Neufeld explores John 13:1–17, unpacking what this remarkable act of humble service reveals about the love of Jesus — a love that serves, gives, forgives, and ultimately leads him to the cross.

Passion: Easter is a pivotal time in the life of a Christian. The foundation of our faith relies on the death and more importantly, the resurrection of Jesus. This 15-message series will prepare our hearts for the Easter season as Dr. Neufeld walks us through the various aspects of the time leading up to Jesus’ death. Talking about the stories of Jesus in the week leading up to his death, also known as Passion week, ought to awaken our own passion of service, thankfulness, and worship. This is a series you won’t want to miss!

Listen to today's Laugh Again with Phil Callaway, "April Fools." Enjoy!

Chuck Swindoll half-jokes that email has just about ruined great writing. Would you agree? Unlike today’s emails, the New Testament letters weren’t written in a hurry. They were meticulously transcribed with the words of wisdom and truth, which are still treasured today.

Think AI is harmless? Think again. Today’s chatbots don’t just answer questions—they offer friendship, romance, even “love.” And the AI dangers aren’t loud… they’re subtle. Easy affirmation. Zero challenge. Total secrecy. On FamilyLife Today, Dave and Ann Wilson talk with Ron Deal about how AI dangers threaten marriages, kids, and faith. Before “Google God” replaces real connection, learn what’s at stake in your home.

Show Notes and Resources

• Attend a Weekend to Remember marriage getaway: Register today at WeekendToRemember.com
• Join the Blended & Blessed one-day event/livestream: register today at blendedandblessed.com
• Get your copy of The Mindful Marriage by Ron and Nan Deal on our shop

• Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com.
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Join Pastor Chuck Swindoll as he presents what is continually appropriate and occasionally uncertain for believers (1 Thessalonians 5:16–22).

From the Series: Contagious Christianity

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If you don't know how to swim, it's not cool to let your friends know that, right? Well, let me tell you, it's just not smart not to tell them, especially if you're going into the lake with them to swim. The scene was Lake Michigan. This ten-year-old boy was me. I couldn't swim and I was too proud to tell my friends. Suddenly, as I waded deeper and deeper, I lost my footing and I began drinking the lake. I can remember the terror of it to this day. My friends thought I was just trying to be funny. I'd gone under for the second time, and man, how I remember! I was helpless. I could not contribute a thing to getting back to shore. Thankfully, someone saw me, jumped in and that rescuer did it all!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Hand That Is Your Hope."

That day in the lake I had one hope - a rescuer. Only one person jumped in to save me, and I'm literally here today because of him.

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 1 Timothy 2:3-6. "God our Savior...wants all men to be saved...There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men." Now the saving that God is talking about here is from the effects and the punishment for the way we've run our lives. The Bible makes it clear that we are drowning in the guilt of our sin and in the death penalty that God attaches to sin.

And God says that when you and I were drowning spiritually, His own Son, Jesus, jumped in to rescue us. He loved you so much He couldn't stand to lose you. In God's words, "He gave Himself a ransom." A ransom...that's paying the price to get someone back. For Jesus, that was a high price. It meant absorbing all the hell and all the punishment for your sin and mine as He died on that cross.

But you can still go under. You can still drown, if you won't let Jesus rescue you. Maybe it's hard for you to admit that you can't somehow swim to God on your own. In fact, you've done some very good things to make it to Him - but not good enough to meet the perfect standard of a perfect God. In Romans 3:10, God includes every person when He says that by His standards, "There is no one righteous, not even one." Not even you. Not even me. Like me that day at the lake, there's nothing you can contribute to your rescue. Your only hope is a savior. And only one person jumped in to save you. That is Jesus Christ.

All that any religion can offer you is a book of swimming instructions - their way to swim to God. But it doesn't matter if they're Protestant swimming instructions or Catholic swimming instructions, or Jewish, or Moslem, or Buddhist, or New Age or whatever. Swimming instructions won't rescue a drowning man or woman. Only the Savior can do that. And only Jesus did the dying it requires to get rid of your sin and to get you into a relationship with your Creator.

Even now, through these few minutes, Jesus is coming to you, offering to do for you what you could never do for yourself, and that is save you from your sin. All you can do is grab the Rescuer as if He's your only hope, because He is! You can't rescue yourself. Won't you finally put your pride aside and all the religion and the goodness you thought would get you to heaven, and just reach for Jesus? He would have never died on that cross if your goodness could get you to heaven. It took His death! That was the only way.

Tell Him right now, "Jesus, I believe that when you were dying on that cross my sins were some of those sins you died for. And I have no hope but You. I'm glad You're alive from the dead and I'm asking you to come in to be my Savior from my sin."

It would be a great time for you to go to our website because it has, there, the information you need to be sure you belong to Him. It's ANewStory.com