You Don’t Have To Struggle With Porn

Porn is a difficult battle and one that Satan is using more and more to rob us of true joy and pull us away from God. Pornography has a severe effect on our emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being. We change the way we look at sex, the value of other people, and our own desires.

This is highly addictive and at its core is about lust. We have been created for meaningful relationships. Porn offers a broken view of those relationships. Deep down we know it is unhealthy. When we are feeling stuck in porn, we often are filled with shame and guilt. This keeps us hiding this habit in the shadows and trying to manage this on our own. The
key to change is to recognize this as the sin it is and view it from the perspective of a victor forgiven by Christ rather than a helpless sinner or
addict.

We encourage you to walk through one of these resources to find help in how to start fighting the battle and bringing about change.

Freedom from porn for MEN

Freedom from porn for WOMEN

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What Does It Mean To Trust God?

Do you ever find yourself overcome with worry, or stressed out over a situation that seems beyond your control? You may have been told to “trust God” in these instances, but what does that even mean? What does trusting God look like in practice?

Previously we have discussed how to find God in the midst of anxiety and depression, but even those who have professed with their mouths and believe in their hearts that Jesus is their savior have times of struggle. The problem is that the world is constantly trying to take our eyes off the “prize”, and this loss of focus opens us up to things that cause us to stumble. The world throws so many distractions at us that promise fleeting moments of happiness, but they merely keep us away from the incredible life that God has for us.

Trusting God isn’t a very complicated thing to do, but it can be a bit scary. Galations 2:20 says:

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Following Jesus means that you have been crucified WITH him. “It is no longer I who live” means that the “old you” is dead, and that Christ lives in you. You are no longer a slave to the world, and the desires of the flesh.

The question remains, how do we trust God? Well, as simple as the answer is, many people are convinced that they can get around it and still find the answer. The cold hard truth is that the Bible is the word of God. In order to know Him, you have to read His word, and apply His teachings to your life.

Once you know who God is, you are able to fully put your trust in Him. This isn’t a passive act. Jesus has told us how to live a life of righteousness, and calls us to follow Him. Luke 9:23 says:

Then Jesus said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

Every day we have to make it a point to deny our old worldly self, and follow His word. This means we turn away from the things that are wrong, even if they brought us pleasure in the past. This can be especially difficult if we believe that these worldly things make up our identity, but the truth is Christ died to free you from that mindset. You are a child of God, full stop.

Nobody is perfect. We all struggle, and stumble, but we serve a loving God who is ready to forgive us, and give us more than we could ever imagine. If you are struggling with anything, have any questions, or just want to talk to someone, we are ready to chat with you right now. Click the button below, and let’s have a conversation.

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Finding God In The Midst Of Anxiety And Depression

Rates of anxiety and depression have been on the rise over the last several years, and chances are you know someone who is struggling without even being aware of it.

The sad truth about anxiety and depression is that they are topics most people do not want to discuss. For the most part, people do not like “bringing others down”, and choose to keep their feelings to themselves. The stigma surrounding depression doesn’t help, either, as people who say they are struggling are often viewed as “ill”. A person struggling with depression often times chooses to bottle their emotions, and hope that things will get better. Sadly, more often than not, this strategy proves fruitless, and leaves them worse off.

Anxiety and depression are not creations of God, but rather a result of “the fall”. Before Adam and Eve were cast out of The Garden of Eden, there was no sickness, worry, or anxiety. When sin entered the world, man felt shame, worry, fear, and a host of other feelings that God never intended for us to have to deal with. When you realize that all the anxiety and depression were never God’s intention, you begin to understand that He doesn’t want that for you, and will provide you a way out. Perhaps He already has, and you weren’t able to see it before.

We live in a time where people are constantly trying to be their “best self”, and this way of thinking can leave people feeling like they have to wait to become a better version of themselves before truly getting better. What’s even more troubling is that many people feel like they have to be better before they can start talking to God. The truth is that God loved you yesterday, He loves you right now, and He will love you for eternity. You don’t have to wait to come to Him.

While it can be difficult to talk to others about anxiety and depression, there’s someone who is always ready to listen.

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:7

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Does God Forgive All Sin?

We often wonder, “does God forgive?” God does offer his forgiveness and love to all. Every person is a sinner, as we have been born into a fractured and sinful world. Because of this every person is in need of God’s forgiveness. God does not want us to live in guilt or in separation from him. This is why he offers his forgiveness. It is all about his love for us and not about what we deserve or earn.

Our sins are serious and have consequences. Jesus came to die for all sin and offer forgiveness because he loves us and knows we can’t earn our own forgiveness or save ourselves. Despite that truth, we let our minds trick us into thinking we must make things right and can’t approach God before doing so.

The most common emotions most of us have after sinning are guilt and shame. We either don’t understand or believe that Jesus still loves us. We find it hard to accept that he is willing to forgive and help us change. We worry that he will be silent, disapproving, judgmental or unloving. Satan wants to deceive and have us feel like God is disappointed instead of confidently trusting his grace.

We do not need to fix ourselves, serve self-imposed penance or try to make things right before going to God for forgiveness. God forgives out of love and mercy not merit. The Bible tells us that it is not enough to just believe God exists. We must acknowledge our sins and believe and trust that Jesus died for our sins. We must have faith that His death is the full payment for our sin debt. We must depend on His resurrection as the guarantee that we will be raised to eternal life after death.  This involves recognizing both our need for forgiveness and our need for his help in becoming who he created each of us to be. Trust Jesus and let him forgive you.

How God forgives you is a big question and we would love to discuss it more with you.

 

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What Is My Life Purpose?

Most people usually get to a place in life where they wonder why they are here or what it is they were created to do, or their purpose. Often we try to answer that question through looking at our careers and relationships. We spend too much time wondering or worrying about who we are and what others think. The reality is that deep down we all desire the same things…. we long to be valued, loved, and respected.

Those things are good desires when help properly. Success and status don’t guarantee we will find true purpose. We can achieve much and yet still know deep down we are meant for something else. The truth is that God created each of us to be in a right relationship with Him.

You are a treasured creation that He loves and has blessed with unique talents, passions and interests. You will never find peace if you use those things for yourself without an understanding of why God gave those things to you.

The path to finding purpose starts and ends with your relationship with God. When you are in a right relationship with God, you will discover your true identity and purpose. You will find the strength to get there. We each have been created for something that God planned long before we were born. That “job” he planned for you may not have anything to do with a career, profession or relationship. You can only discover what it is through trusting Him.

Finding true purpose is a big question and we would love to discuss it more with you.

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Does God Care About Me?

God does care about you and loves you. That can be hard to believe in those times when we feel alone. Other times we may acknowledge God, but feel like he is very difficult to connect with and far away.

This becomes even more difficult when life is filled with pain and heartache. God seems either distant or unloving and we can’t understand why he does not step in and make things better. Of course, this view assumes he isn’t helping. We typically fail to think that it may be even worse without him or that something even bigger than our current challenges may be happening. The simple reality is we live in a broken world that has been fractured by sin. This is complicated by the fact that God honors our free will and he may feel more distant because we choose to work things out on our own instead of turning it all over to him.

The thing we need to focus on is that God’s attitude towards us is one of unconditional love. He created us for relationship with him. Christ has died for our sins and offers complete forgiveness. His Holy Word is not meant to burden us with rules but rather to teach us what is good for us, show us how we can be at our best and bring us closer to Him.

God’s knows each of us at the most intimate level and has an eternal perspective. He works in ways we often don’t realize or understand. The question is whether we will trust in that or whether we will decide to do it alone.

His promise is that if we draw near to him, he will come closer to us. He does not promise that only good will happen or life will be free of pain. There are times he will not jump into our situation the way we want but he is there. His promise is to be with us and help us through our troubles. His promise for eternity is much bigger and includes perfect love with no pain, tears or suffering. You can experience that and come to see that not only does God care, but that he loves you no matter what you have done.

How God cares for you is a big question and we would love to discuss it more with you.

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How Do I Stop This Sinful Habit?

We all struggle with sin. Our hearts and minds are at odds. Deep down we know something is wrong or not good for us. Our mind says we should to stop and yet somehow we keep returning.  Some of those sins seem to grab hold of us and it feels like we can’t wrestle free from them no matter what we do. Know that regardless of the sinful habit you are fighting, God loves you and offers forgiveness. That can be hard to believe in those times when we feel alone.

Experience tells us that we each struggle differently with sin. What might be a tripping point for me is easy for you and what keeps making you stumble is not an issue for someone else. I wish there were this simple step that once we do it then we never fall into sinful habits again.

The reality is only one thing will save us and give us the power to start changing how we live. That one thing is faith in Jesus Christ. Once we admit our sins and seek forgiveness from Jesus, then we become a new person. This allows us to think differently, trust God’s Word, and lean into the power of God for help with our every struggle.

How to change the sin that eats our souls is a big question and we would love to discuss it more with you.

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Does God Answer Prayer?

God hears our prayers and desires for us to be in a right relationship with him. Unfortunately, we often seek God as the last resort after our own failed attempts at getting what we need or want. We may go to him even though we have no real faith, no desire to change, and no heart for a relationship with him. We want to be clear that this type of prayer does not work as praying is much more than sending requests to a cosmic wishing well.

God loves us and wants to be in direct relationship with each of us. He knows us better than we know ourselves and loves us more than we love ourselves. Jesus has died for our sins so we can be forgiven and desires that we come to him with faith, trust and confidence in him. He tells us to pray according to his will and not our own. When we pray according to his will, and seek things that glorify him, then he answers our prayers. We should do this knowing and trusting the character and promises of God. And when we do that, we may not get answers that align with our requests, but we receive a peace that goes beyond what we can find on our own.

Part of trusting God means we also understand that his answer may be “no” or “not now”. He answers our prayers with a perfect and eternal perspective. That may mean he has something better in mind or his timing is different than ours. When we trust God, we recognize that his wisdom exceeds ours and his response is the best possible answer. That is true even when the answer is completely different than what we desire and we can’t understand how it is good for us. In the end, God makes all things beautiful in time. He loves us too much to give us all that we seek when we have no idea what the future holds or what is truly best for us.

How God answers your prayers is a big question and we would love to discuss it more with you.

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How Do I Let Go Of Worry And Anxiety?

We have all had relationships or issues that sit deep within our hearts. These things can weigh on us are difficult to keep a healthy perspective on. However, none of those get better or are resolved by worrying about them. That can lead to feelings of anxiety. The truth is we often have to let go before things can get better.

When we have the forgiveness and peace of knowing God, we can live knowing He loves us and has a plan for our lives.  In fact, when we find ourselves repeatedly anxious and discouraged about something, we’re often buying into some sort of false perspective. We end up placing more emphasis on the negative things that concern us instead of placing our trust in God who loves and protects us.

Faith takes our eyes off the problem and turns them to God, where all answers are found. In fact, there is a famous verse in scripture which says don’t be anxious about anything. It says no matter what is going on, we should thank God in prayer and ask Him to take our concerns. When we do that, we receive a peace that covers all things and guards our hearts and minds. That verse is Philippians 4:6-7 if you want to read it.

We have a choice every time we face a problem. We can focus on the problem or the corresponding promise God has to carry us through the difficult times. God offers answers and if we are willing to trust His promises then the problems look at lot smaller. Stop letting worry and anxiety drain you of energy and hope. We want to encourage you to start trusting God for peace.

How God wants you to give him all your worries is a big question and we would love to discuss it more with you.

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