I think we would all be scared if we really knew what was going on inside people’s hearts, and what people really did struggle with. We are so good at hiding our struggles and our sins, and this is what the enemy wants us to do. For people who are struggling with sexually purity issues they listen and believe the lies that they are the only ones struggling with those issues, and they would be judged and looked down upon if someone really knew what they were struggling with. Therefore, they keep the struggle lock down deep inside and it just destroys them. They are scared to let someone come into their broken world so they try to manage their sin. A friend of mine was sharing with me the other day that he was going through a guy’s computer that had just passed away trying to find any family members that he could notify about his passing. My friend was shock at all the sexually explicit emails he was finding in this computer. He said, Steven I had no idea he was struggling with this stuff. All of us have dark secrets and struggles and God wants to heal us. One of the things that helps in the healing process is getting our secrets and struggles out into the open. I know for me personal there was so much freedom when I got all of my dark secrets out. I have no secrets with my wife, and as painful as it was for me to sit and share with her my struggles, sins, it was one of the most freeing things I have done. I’ve also sat down with another couple who was helping me and we had a time of prayer where I just confessed my sins and got all the dark nasty secrets out. James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” There is such a healing that comes with getting our crap out into the open. When I meet with guys who are interested in going through Refuge I always share my story and my struggles with them first. It breaks the ice and they realize they are not the only one. The first and hardest step in the healing processing over this struggle is to let someone into your world. If you’re at that place where you need to let someone in and you are not too sure who to talk with, pray and ask God to show you who to share your struggle with. It needs to be someone you can trust, someone who truly understands the Gospel. This is the person that can help you, and not the person who is going to judge you. When I was in the battle with my struggle I was seeing this Christian counselor and I had opened up and shared my struggle with him. I remember one week as I was sharing I told him I had struggle that week, and he blasted me for falling. I realize today that he didn’t understand the Gospel, I never saw him again after that day. Know I could have made the choice to say the hell with it, I am not going to share my story with anyone else, but I am glad God didn’t give up on me. God has brought people into my life that has help me overcome my struggle with sexual sins, people I have shared my story with, and people who meet me where I was and God has brought healing to my life. It all started by letting people come into my world. I was enslaved for 20 plus years to porn and other sexually sins. I just got to a point where I was tired of struggling and I didn’t care who I told and knew I need help. I just want to encourage you that you don’t have to battle this struggle by yourself. There are people who love you and will love you through this battle and will get out onto the battle field with you. If you are struggling pray and ask God to show you who you can talk to. Ask God to start bring those people into your life that can help you. This is an issue that you cannot keep inside; it will eat you from the inside out, and will take every good thing from you. This is a beast that you cannot control, it wants to destroy your life, but it will keep telling you it is the greatest thing for you.
21 Jul
Refuge 