Surfing for God: Discovering the Divine Desire Beneath Sexual Struggle

by Michael John Cusick

Overview

Discover how the barrier built by porn addiction can become a bridge to abundant life. Using personal examples, scriptural illustrations, and 20 years of counseling experience, Cusick will help you understand how to break free from the prison of sexual addiction.

What if lust for porn is really a search for true passion?

In a world where there are 68 million searches for pornography every day and where over 70 percent of Christian men report viewing porn in the last year, it's no surprise that more and more men struggle with an addiction to this false fantasy. Common wisdom says if they just had more willpower or more faith, their fight would be over. But is the answer really that simple?

According to counselor and ministry leader Michael John Cusick, the answer is no—but the big truth may be much more freeing. Backed by scripture, Cusick uses examples from his own life and from his twenty years of counseling experience to show us how the pursuit of empty pleasure is really a search for our heart's deepest desire—and the real key to resistance is discovering and embracing the joy we truly want.

Cusick discusses the origins of sexual addiction, the need for affirmation, and the heart that aches for God while falling into relapse. Handling a difficult topic with grace, mercy and honesty, Cusick's insights will help you understand:

• How porn struggles begin
• What to do to prevent those struggles
• How to overcome compulsions once they begin

An essential resource centered on the sustaining love of Christ, this book will help guide anyone battling sex addiction or those in ministry seeking to provide encouragement to those struggling.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780849947230
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	06/04/2012
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	364,322
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Michael John Cusick is an ordained minister, spiritual director, and licensed professional counselor who has experienced firsthand the restoring touch of God in a deeply broken life and marriage. Michael founded Restoring the Soul, a ministry whose mission is to provide life changing soul care to Christian leaders. Michael’s passion through twenty-five years of ministry is to connect life’s broken realities with the healing power of the gospel.

Table of Contents

Introduction: What's Better than Porn? xi

Chapter 1 Getting Your Feathers Back 1

Chapter 2 It's Not About Sex 12

Chapter 3 Insatiable Thirst 25

Chapter 4 Gathering the Broken Pieces 37

Chapter 5 Exposing the Counterfeits 53

Chapter 6 Shame and Core Beliefs 66

Chapter 7 The Soul Snare Path 81

Chapter 8 Your Good Heart 94

Chapter 9 The Invisible Battle 108

Chapter 10 Your Brain on Porn 122

Chapter 11 Less Is More 138

Chapter 12 The Soul Care Highway 151

Chapter 13 Freedom to Live 164

Chapter 14 Going Under the Knife 177

Conclusion: Becoming the Hero That You Are 192

Acknowledgments 199

Notes 201

Editorial Reviews

Cusick (Restoring the Soul ministry) here addresses issues in the contemporary world with a directness and frankness unusual in writers on religious topics; his brief is specifically the lure of Internet-based pornography, which is as common and as damaging in the business and Christian worlds as it is anywhere else. To Cusick, porn "hits" are a deflected search for connectedness with God, and he challenges the Christian man to "be circumcised in his heart" and accept both personal brokenness and God's love directly. VERDICT Touching the issues of our time, this is an unusual, frank, and welcome talk for Christian men in all walks of life.

Library Journal