Philip writes, "I started looking at porn from an early age. I had reached puberty and had experienced self-gratification. I would wake up early in the morning and turn on the TV to watch the “softcore” porn. I continued in this habit, and my involvement with impurity escalated when I received a smartphone.
I had been brought up in a Christian household and felt guilty about my sin, but I was in chains to my sin and desired more of it. It wasn’t until college, and I was on my own that the Spirit began to convict me of my sin. Even though I “knew the gospel” and believed I was a Christian there was no understanding of the power of the gospel and no real relationship with Christ in my life.
The Spirit convicted me, but I believed that by my strength I would break my chains. I spent six years saying, "Today is the day I am going to stop." I would pray that God would give me the strength; I would put up blockers and buy phones with no internet, but because I relied on myself I failed again and again.
Years past and I got married and thought this would give me the motivation to change, but it only lasted for a week and a half. My prayers began to change at this point to me asking God to do something because I felt hopeless. I had become someone full of deceit, pride, hypocrisy, lies, and all types of sin because of my sin and shame. My only hope was maybe one day this will get better, but I just continued to pursue my sin that kept me chained and in deep, deep bondage. I searched for porn wherever I could, and I began to look at it at work because it was hard to hide my use from my wife.
It was at this point that God stepped into my life to free me. He allowed my sin to be exposed at work, and they removed me from my position that same day. I had to tell my wife that same day too and both parts of my life, my work-life and home-life were shattered. God had placed me where I could not run, and I had to confront who I was. I responded by leaning into God. I spent the next few days exposing my years of sin to my wife and asking for forgiveness. By the grace of God, she decided to stay and support me.
I would pray and read the Bible for hours. My dad recommended the Setting Captives Free Purity course, and I was so broken that I said I would try it. I was expecting the course to tell me to throw away everything causing you to sin and try with all your strength to stop. But how glorious was the gospel presented!
The gospel message in this course changed my world; it was as if a switch had been flipped from dark to light. Like chains shattering. I knew I was free because Jesus had paid the price to free me, that by His death he had ransomed my life and had killed the old man inside of me. This is the first time in over 14 years that I have felt free, and it is all because I have relied on Jesus. He has done all the work for me, may His name be praised forever! Oh, how true it is that when the Son sets you free, you are free indeed."
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The following video is a recording of Mike and Jody Cleveland talking with Lori about how Christ set her free from a life of immortality.
Question 8. What are your thoughts about these testimonies? Can you relate to Philip and/or Lori? Please share.
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